Partnership is the secret sauce to supporting inactive youth in South Australia

A large consortium of Local Government Authorities (Councils) and community stakeholders from across South Australia have joined with Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure to support a proposal to help more youth to participate in active recreation and sport so that they can experience the many physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing benefits that participation brings. 

Benefitting from longstanding and highly successful existing partnerships, Belgravia Leisure enlisted Belgravia Foundation and regional Councils and stakeholders to partner and submit a proposal to the Active State Collaboration Program (ASCP), a program that directly supports the Office for Recreation Sport and Racing's (ORSR) Strategic Plan and strategic priorities: 

  • Active Lives – Embedding movement, play, and performance into the daily lives of South Australians. 

  • Places and Spaces – Ensuring that places and spaces supporting movement, play, and performance are accessible to everyone. 

  • Strategic Partnerships – Achieving community outcomes through meaningful strategic collaborations. 

  1. Inactive youth aged 12 to 15 years are the targeted beneficiaries of the Youth in Motion proposal that is planned to support this cohort to adopt healthy physical activity behaviours. 

Partnering Councils and stakeholders include: 

  • Port Pirie Regional Council 

  • The Barossa Council 

  • Renmark Paringa Council 

  • District Council of Renmark Waikerie 

  • Mount Barker Council 

  • Freeling Community Recreation Park Management Committee 

Since submission of the proposal, and several additional regional South Australian Councils and stakeholder groups have reached out to join an expanded partnership.  And all expressions to join the partnership have been welcomed 

This proposal seeks to build confidence and self-determination among youth, foster social connections and deliver inclusive physical activity programs, co-designed with disengaged and regularly physically inactive youth 12-15 years regionally located throughout South Australia.  

The project will follow a youth-supported community-led approach, inclusive of youth informed and facilitated Community Network Forums (Y-CNFs), ensuring tailored uniqueness of each locality, and responsive to the expressed needs, preferences and priorities of youth. Through this approach, youth voices will be sought AND heard, enabling support and action to be targeted toward experiences of interest to this cohort, thus promoting uptake, success and sustainability. 

Emma Lowe