Active Rural Communities

Investing In Our Youth and the Western Australia Country Health Service (WACHS-SW)  formed a successful partnership to access funding for a project that encouragee children and young people in rural communities in the South West to engage in physical activity.

Project Officer Dale Nielsen worked with communities to address local barriers to children and young people being sufficiently active. Dale used a community building approach that involved broad consultation, linking communities to existing support networks through organisations such as the Department of Sport and Recreation, the National Heart Foundation, and the Active After School Program.

The project was funded through the Department of Health and Ageing's Healthy Active Australia Community and Schools Grant Program.

It is recommended that children and young people have at least 60 minutes moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. Pre-school children should be active for three hours daily.

Media Releases: ARC Media Release (dated February 2009); ARC Media Release 2 (dated May 2010)

The 2010 evaluation of the Active Rural Communities program is now available.