On February 13th, the Belgravia Foundation will hold its annual Inspiration Breakfast. This year, the focus is on the All In! project highlighting swim teacher training programs that improve the knowledge and confidence of swim teachers to support people with a disability or people of cultural and linguistic diversity.
Since its inception in 2017, the Belgravia Foundation has come a long way to creating greater access to sports, leisure, recreation and fitness for every person in Australia. The Foundation is proud of the fact that every dollar raised in the local communities is used to benefit that community, and it places a huge emphasis on partnerships within the local communities.
What’s in store for the Belgravia Foundation in 2020?
The Belgravia Foundation has celebrated a number of successful initiatives within the local community since it was formed in 2017. These include inclusive employment opportunities within Belgravia Leisure sites, and organising and funding a Mental Health First Aid course that teaches participants to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental health issues, and how to assist in a crisis situation.
Associate Professor Jeff Walkley, Chief Executive Officer of the Belgravia Foundation says, “We are here to ensure everyone has equal access to a healthy and active lifestyle.”
Most recently, the Belgravia Foundation was successful in the application of a grant to support carers. This grant will enable the Foundation to connect carers to weekly programs and social activities offered in 12 leisure centres operated by Belgravia Leisure across metropolitan, urban fringe and country locations in Victoria.
In 2020, the Belgravia Foundation will continue to drive its three national projects:
The ‘All In’ Project is a training program that will gives swim teachers the confidence to support people with a disability or of cultural and linguistic diversity. A field trial involving 20 Belgravia Leisure swim schools is being undertaken to test innovative online training and onsite mentoring for staff. Funding from Swimming Australia of $120,000 has been granted, and additional support to the value of $100,000 has been provided by Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure.
The ‘Everybody’s Welcome’ Project is focused on providing training to leisure sector staff to improve their confidence and capacity to be welcoming, supportive and inclusive. The online program YouMeUs is part of this project, and over 4,000 Belgravia Leisure staff have completed this training. Coming soon is an online program to help staff better understand and support their own and others mental health. Working with Monash University, Belgravia Foundation will launch a major survey in 2020 to identify other key training needs of leisure sector staff.
In addition, the ‘Take Charge!’ Project will also be a focus in 2020. The ‘Take Charge’ Project is a free referral-based program that gives access and support for people living with a mental illness to exercise in Belgravia Leisure centres in their community for 60 days, followed by a negotiated co-contribution based on a person’s financial situation for ongoing access.
