The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically disrupted community participation in sport and exercise. Recognising this with a deep desire to quickly support its community, Hume City Council launched a COVID-19 Community Connections and Partnerships Grant round, seeking expressions of interest from organisations’ able to create innovative ways to connect the community to each other, and to sport and exercise.

Belgravia Foundation responded to the challenge, and has been successful with an application for the project ‘Now, and in the Future’. Collaborating with BK Kids Gymnastics (Craigieburn), Belgravia Leisure, Special Olympics Australia and Gymnastics Victoria, the project was rapidly planned and has now been brought to life.

People with a disability (PwD), people of cultural and linguistic backgrounds (pwCALD) and older adults are the groups that are the focus of the project, as these groups have been shown by research to most often miss out on participation in sport and exercise.

The ‘now’ part of the project is being provided through access to free online exercise and gymnastics videos. To further promote accessibility, selected videos are being captioned in languages other than English to enable more people to benefit.

In preparation for the ‘future’ part of the project, when people will again be able to participate in person in sport and exercise, gymnastics coaches at Belgravia Kids Gymnastics (Craigieburn) are to receive online training to help them build improved knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to welcome, support and include PwD and pwCALD. To provide onsite support and guidance, an Inclusion Coordinator role has been created for the venue, and this person will receive training, support and resourcing to enable them to act as a mentor to gymnastics coaches.