Aquatic and recreation industry workforce should take advantage of free mental health elearning program

February 8, 2024

With mental illness set to again be the main reason for a person to visit their general practitioner in 2024, Dr Jeff Walkley, Chief Executive of the Belgravia Foundation, is encouraging workers in the leisure industry to make use of MHeLP platform.

Dr Walkley has today (8th February) used his address at the annual Diversity and Inclusion in Leisure Forum to encourage all in the industry to make use of this free, cutting-edge mental health eLearning program, which was developed under the guidance of international mental health and exercise experts specifically for the aquatic, recreation and sport sector.

Addressing more than 200 delegates at the Forum - being held at Zinc in Melbourne’s Federation Square - Dr Walkley highlighted:

How mental illness will be the main reason for a person to visit their general practitioner this year (as it has been for the past four years)
That 45% of Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime
Youth aged between 15 and 24 years (the aquatics and recreation sector’s largest employee cohort) have the highest prevalence of mental illness to any age group
5,000 participants across the country have already benefited from MHeLP

The purpose of MHeLP’s online training is to provide knowledge to the learner to better understand their own and others mental health but also improve their confidence to support someone living with a mental health condition; whether that is a family member, friend, colleague, teammate, member or guest.

It is completely free, online, accessible at any time from any place, self-paced and evidence-based resource that supports workers and volunteers in the aquatic, recreation and community sports sectors.

Dr Walkley advises “I aim to take advantage of presenting to the ‘who’s who’ in the leisure sector on the 8th of February to drive home how important this free online learning platform is to us all. There is no reason why anyone should be shying away from this critically important resource; it is a vital tool for everyone in the sector to take advantage of.

“Additionally, as employers in the leisure sector, we each hold a responsibility as per Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice to manage psychosocial hazards in our workplace, the same as we currently must do for physical hazards. MHeLP supports this by providing information and training for your workforce. Given the stats around the rise of mental illness, it’s a no-brainer that everyone should be taking advantage of this free resource.”

This presentation is just one of many that attendees will benefit from at the second edition of the Forum, with the sessions focused on delivering informative insight into a variety of evidence-based practices.

Click here to view Safe Work Australia’s Code of Practice to manage psychosocial hazards in the workplace

Click here to purchase a ticket to the Diversity and Inclusion in Leisure Forum.

Click here for more information on MHeLP.

The Forum followed the Belgravia Foundation’s 2024 Inspiration Breakfast - also being held at Zinc.

Click here for details of the 2024 Diversity, Inclusion and Leisure Forum in the Australasian Leisure Management industry Calendar.

Lower image: Dr Jeff Walkley with Belgravia Foundation Chair Alex Lord.

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31st January 2024 - 2024 Belgravia Foundation Inspiration Breakfast to celebrate need for improved health and happiness

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4th January 2024 - AUSactive identifies exercise for mental health as the year’s top fitness trend

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14th November 2023 - Research suggests adventure experiences boost mental health and wellbeing

10th October 2023 - Benefits of exercise spotlighted on World Mental Health Day 2023

4th October 2023 - AUSactive’s Barrie Elvish explains the importance of Mental Health Month

25th September 2023 - Cérge partnership with Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure secures 2023 AUSactive National Innovation Award

29th June 2023 - Superyacht Fitness and Myzone partner to improve physical and mental health of crew members

18th May 2023 - Walk With Me engages elite athletes and coaches to support communities’ mental health

13th March 2023 - Viva Leisure study shows Australians rate mental health as top reason for attending the gym

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17th February 2023 - 2023 Belgravia Foundation Inspiration Breakfast continues ‘no one misses out’ objective

16th November 2022 - Belgravia Leisure partnership with Belgravia Foundation and ARV recognised at 2022 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards

10th October 2022 - Olympic champion Hayley Lewis named as Mental Health Ambassador

4th October 2022 - Rebel and Lifeline launch campaign ahead of World Mental Health Day

3rd October 2022 - Snap Fitness collaborates with LIVIN for National Mental Health Month

1st October 2022 - UBX launches its first global campaign to support Mental Health Week

10th August 2022 - AUSactive webinars to offer mental health support

15th March 2022 - Australian Institute of Sport expands services for mental health support

14th March 2022 - AUSactive’s Barrie Elvish highlights cost of Australia’s physical and mental health crisis to Federal Treasurer

21st August 2020 - Belgravia Foundation rolls out mental health training for Belgravia Leisure staff

17th July 2020 - Belgravia Foundation passes three years of operations

5th October 2017 - New Belgravia Foundation looks to enhance wellbeing outcomes among marginalised communities

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