Belgravia Foundation CEO Wrap Up 2024
A message from Belgravia Foundation CEO, Dr Jeff Walkley
Through partnership, and a shared commitment among like-minded organisations and people, 2024 has proven to be another year that has reinforced the maxim – Together, we can.
Belgravia Foundation thrives on partnership, community engagement, co-design, evidence-based practice, innovation and sharing.
Through this way of working, initiatives to enable people working in and supporting the leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, tourism and sport sectors to adopt best practice approaches that welcome, support and include everyone into everything that is on offer – access and inclusion in facilities, programs, services and employment.
The year started February with the Belgravia Foundation Inspiration Breakfast, and annual event that consistently brings 220+ leaders, activators, stakeholders and local champions together to celebrate the past year, and learn about new opportunities to promote health and happiness among all people, regardless of who they are, how they look, their financial situation – any matter that has impeded access to leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, tourism and sport sectors. To join with us at the Belgravia Foundation Inspiration Breakfast in 2025, and discover ways to partner with us, grab your tickets here.
The Diversity & Inclusion & Leisure Forum in February had Belgravia Foundation partnering and collaborating with leading organisations in the leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, and sport sectors to deliver professional learning to 210 leaders, workers, advocates and stakeholders. Eighty percent of the attendees were ‘Forum first timers’, enabling the spread of best practice strategies, resources and ideas to help more people, in more places, more often.
The Forum again offered evidenced-based presentations and panels, sharing best practice to enable translation into practice to benefit people who experience disengagement from leisure, aquatics, fitness and recreation. The continued success of the Forum – initiated 2023 by Belgravia Foundation – sparked a commitment toward collaboration, partnership and funding a Forum by key organisations – Aquatics & Recreation Victoria, AUSactive, Aligned Leisure, Belgravia Leisure, BlueFit, The Y Victoria, and Disability Sport & Recreation (Victoria) in February 2025.
Through partnership, Belgravia Foundation, along with innovation partner Belgravia Leisure, supported a wave of innovation, trialled new ideas, and aided scale-up of ‘best practice’ opportunities.
Belgravia Foundation continued to partner Cérge, a digital concierge platform that enables bespoke welcome and support to people living with disabilities to be included into community facilities and activities. Cérge has now been installed in 100+ leisure, aquatic, tourism and sport facilities across Australia and New Zealand – creating remarkably positive experiences for people living with disabilities, many of whom who have not ventured into these environments for years, and in some cases decades. Belgravia Foundation is very proud of this achievement, and our support has been confirmed by Cerge’s growth to be in 300+ community venues, with major awards in the airline and sport sectors in 2024.
Belgravia Foundation continued during 2024 to support and manage YouMeUs, a free online program that has now been completed by 13,000+ workers in the leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, and sport sectors. Feedback from these people provides shows that YouMeUs creates improved confidence and capability among workers in these sectors to welcome, support and include people living with disabilities into these sectors.
Take Charge Mental Health eLearning Program (MHeLP) has now been completed by approaching 7,000 workers in the leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, and sport sectors. MHeLP remains the top-related professional learning program offered by AUSactive, achieving a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 71, a remarkable achievement with this high rating by users being sustained for several years. Most importantly, evidence for those who have completed MHeLP has shown an improved confidence and readiness to support their own, and others, mental health.
Belgravia Foundation never rests, constantly pursuing new opportunities to help more people, more often, in more places toward improved health and happiness through access and inclusion to the opportunities available in the leisure, aquatic, recreation, health, fitness, and sport sectors.
We did this working in partnership with Ending Loneliness Together, and participated in Loneliness Awareness Week, to trial ideas about how the leisure, aquatic, and recreation sector could help people manage their loneliness and social isolation. Results from multiple sources of evidence confirmed the leisure, aquatic and recreation sector have much to contribute toward ending loneliness and social isolation among community members, and workers in these sectors.
Please visit the Good News page of the Belgravia Foundation website to read about all the community connections created through local co-design and co-action programs and initiatives.
Belgravia Foundation is looking forward to reconnecting with you next year at the 2025 Inspiration Breakfast. Let’s do more to help more people in more places toward improved health and happiness, because through partnership, together we can! Please register to attend the event by selecting the link; we would love to see you there.
We would like to wish everyone a festive and safe holiday season and a happy and healthy 2025.