General News
25 May, 2023
Getting active in nature
THANKS to a joint initiative with Corangamite Shire Council, South West Sport and VicHealth, students at Derrinallum College have been enjoying fun activities in natural locations across the shire.
THANKS to a joint initiative with Corangamite Shire Council, South West Sport and VicHealth, students at Derrinallum College have been enjoying fun activities in natural locations across the shire.
The Active in Nature initiative aims to promote young people being active outside in nature, whilst providing alternatives to traditional sports such as football, cricket and netball.
Activities included mountain bike riding, hiking and strawberry picking in Timboon, and beach-based activities, including beach volleyball, and Indigenous art sessions in Port Campbell.
Principal Caitlyn Fitzgerald said another session was coming up in the next few weeks, with another yet to be planned.
“We’ve got one coming up where the kids are going stand-up paddle boarding at Lake Bullen Merri in a couple of weeks,” she said.
“The students picked out the activities and worked together as a group to negotiate what they were into.”
“It’s about them connecting with each other, and the opportunity for them to do it outside in the natural environment.
“It’s a great opportunity for the kids to engage in things and to realise there are alternative things beyond the laptop and the iPad, to reduce their screen time, get them active, get the endorphins
pumping so they can be happier about themselves, and get out there and move their bodies and increase their fitness.”
Student Scarlett Wilkins said representatives of the program consulted with students on activities they already did in nature, then organized a series of activities.
“A lot of the time we talk about mental illness and things, and I feel like it’s a way that can really help improve it.,” she said.
“That’s why there was such an emphasis for us to do it.
“Even the ones we were a bit iffy on at first, we quite enjoyed it after a while.
“It was a day off school; but it was also a change to hang out with your mates and doing something fun.”