- $20,000 in grant funding has been awarded to Barkly Highway State School P&C for an innovative 'outdoor classroom' initiative to increase students' participation and learning through physical activity
- The GenQ Health and Wellbeing Queensland Grants Program aims to support the health and wellbeing of infants, children and young people
- Grants were awarded to initiatives that promote physical activity, nutrition, health literacy, wellbeing and/or health equity
Local communities across Queensland are being empowered to implement initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of infants, children and young people through new grant funding.
Health and Wellbeing Queensland, the state’s prevention agency, has awarded 25 community projects a total of nearly $400,000 in funding through its inaugural GenQ Health and Wellbeing Community grants scheme.
Grants were awarded to initiatives that promote physical activity, nutrition, health literacy, wellbeing and/or health equity in local communities.
In Soldiers Hill in Mount Isa, Barkly Highway State School Parents and Citizens Association has received $20,000 to implement Barkly's QR Code Outdoor Classroom Adventure Course.
The orienteering-based course is part of the Outdoor Classroom program, which uses QR codes permanently placed around school grounds to encourage physical activity, whilst learning.
The 'outdoor classroom' initiative is to give a permanent, flexible and editable resource to teachers that increases student participation through physical activity.
This program will be piloted at Barkly's Highway State School with the goal to expand this approach in other Queensland schools.
Health and Wellbeing Queensland Chief Executive Officer Dr Robyn Littlewood said creating a generational shift was key to helping Queensland’s children and young people live healthier more active lives.
'It's wonderful this Children’s Week to acknowledge the communities across our state who are driving to improve the health and wellbeing of Queensland’s more than 1.2 million children and young people,' she said.
'New research shows that a child born in the decade from 2023 may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents – we need to reverse this trend.
'These Community Grants are just one of the steps we’re taking to deliver our GenQ vision so that children born today experience better health outcomes than the generations of Queenslanders before them.
'These grants will help make healthy happen faster for our state by driving innovation across key areas that have a huge impact on our health and wellbeing, and most importantly by supporting communities bring the ideas to life that will be most beneficial – because they know their own communities better than anyone.'
Click here for the full list of recipients.
Interviews available:
Health and Wellbeing Queensland Chief Executive Officer, Dr Robyn Littlewood
About us:
Health and Wellbeing Queensland is the state's prevention agency. Our focus is to reduce the impacts of chronic disease especially for those who are experiencing poor health due to circumstances beyond their control. We do that by working with government, communities and other sectors to change the environments people live in to help create a healthier and fairer Queensland.
Contact details:
Sarah Motherwell, Senior Media Advisor, 0439 599 210
