Healthy Kids Mitchell is proud to acknowledge the Taungurung people as the traditional owners of the Seymour and surrounding areas on which we are based.
We pay our respects to their leaders and Elders past, present and emerging, for they hold forever the memories, traditions, culture and hopes of all Taungurung people. We express our gratitude for the sharing of this land, our sorrow for the personal, spiritual and cultural costs of that sharing and our hope that we can walk forward together in harmony and the spirit of reconciliation.
About Healthy Kids Mitchell
What is
HEALTHY Kids
?
Mitchell
Healthy Kids Mitchell is a community group working together to help children in the northern Mitchell Shire to grow up healthy. Healthy Kids Mitchell was formed as a result of the RESPOND Project, which was introduced by Health Promotion Officers in the Mitchell Shire in late 2022.
About RESPOND
RESPOND stands for Reflexive Evidence and Systems interventions to Prevent Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease.
RESPOND is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funded Partnership Project Grant that is delivered through a Deakin University research initiative that aims to bring the community together to advocate for the health and wellbeing of local children.
Systems Thinking vs Traditional Approach
Traditional problem solving would identify one solution for every problem. Systems thinking identifies that there are many solutions to solve complex problems. We use systems thinking problem solving methods to help us understand the things in our community that can either help or hinder our health and programs that could support good health and wellbeing.
Our RESPOND Workshops
In 2022, we invited community members and leaders to attend three RESPOND workshops where we:
heard stories about the factors that help or hinder our local children's health and placed these factors into a mind map.
used systems thinking to understand how these factors are all connected and impact the health of our local children.
brainstormed project ideas to create positive change in northern Mitchell Shire.
From these workshops, 37 projects and ideas were raised, and a community action group was formed to help bring these projects to life in our community. Throughout 2022 and 2023, the community action group (Healthy Kids Mitchell), have been working towards 10 out of these 37 projects, and significant progress and positive impacts have been achieved.
Local Data & Statistics
Through the RESPOND project, Deakin University conducted a study in 2019 and 2022 in primary schools in the Mitchell Shire.
Data from children in grades 4 & 6 in the Mitchell Shire showed:
2019 | 2022 |
66% met fruit consumption guidelines | 74% met fruit consumption guidelines |
11% met vegetable consumption guideline | 8% met vegetable consumption guidelines |
23% met physical activity guidelines | 17% met physical activity guidelines |
49% met water consumption guidelines | 54% met water consumption guidelines |
2022 |
These results show the need for our community to work together to create positive environments and help our local children to have opportunities to achieve good health and wellbeing.
Healthy Kids Mitchell Projects
We are currently working on the following projects in the northern Mitchell Shire Community:
Future Healthy Kids Mitchell Ideas
- Healthy Catering Toolkit
- Local Fresh Food Campaign
- Multicultural Food Market
- Community Garden Project
- Community Leadership Program
- Screen Time Educational Program
- Food Programs in Schools
- Local Youth Space
- Bike Paths
Seymour Food Relief Collaborative
The Seymour Food Relief Collaborative aims to support local food relief providers and help make food relief more equitable, accessible, reliable and sustainable. The collaborative currently has 26 members from various food relief providers and local organisations across Seymour and surrounds.
Following the severe flooding in Seymour in October 2022, the collaborative focused on responding to the growing need of food and emergency relief services in the community. The collaborative were successful for the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal - Strengthening Rural Communities Grant, receiving $10,000 to support food relief and flood recovery in the community.
Community Food Share Seymour
The Community Food Share Seymour is a monthly event hosted by The Centre for Continuing Education - Seymour and supported by the Seymour Food Relief Collaborative.
The event slogan is "leave what you can, take what you need", inviting the community to donate food and produce that they may not need, and/or collect food items.
The events offer the community access to varying products each month, including fresh fruit and veg, food hampers, pet food and staple items.
Date: First Thursday of the Month
Time: 9:30am - 2:00pm
Location: 3 Wallis Street, Seymour, VIC 3660
Available to: Anyone
Community Support, Partners and Donations:
We would like to thank our generous partners and the organisations and groups that donate their resources, time and equiptment to help make our Community Food Share events possible:
- Seymour and Kilmore Toyota
- Shepparton Foodshare
- Kilmore Mens Shed
- Foodbank Australia
- The Pet Food Shop - Seymour
- Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers
- Seymour Caravans and Trailers
- North Central Review
- Seymour Telegraph
- Seymour FM
Promotion and Media - Community Food Share Seymour
Seymour Food Relief
Below is a list of free food relief services in Seymour, please contact services for more information.
Who | Where | Phone/Email | When | What | For |
The Salvation Army Seymour | 8-10 Victoria Street, Seymour | General: 03 5735 8400 Salvos Phone Assistance Line: Call 03 8873 5288 | Emergency Relief: Mon 2pm - 4pm Wed 2pm - 4pm Fri 2pm - 4pm Community Meals: Wed 6pm-7pm Fri 12pm - 1pm | Emergency Relief Food Parcels Meals Programs Vouchers upon Assessment | Anyone |
Food is Free Seymour | Station Street Post Office, Seymour | n/a | Weekly Thursday 9am - 1pm | Food Share Stand | Anyone |
St Vincent De Paul Seymour | 76B Anzac Ave, Seymour | 03 5792 4167 | Monday - Wednesday 10am - 1pm | Emergency Relief | Anyone |
Goranwarrabul House | Corner of Callen & Bretonneux Street, Seymour | 0429 555 250 | Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm | Foodbank Pantry | Aboriginal Community |
The Centre | 3 Wallis Street, Seymour | 03 5721 0200 | First Thursday of the Month 9:30am - 2pm | Hampers and Emergency Relief (subject to availability) | Anyone |
Our Place | Seymour College, Stewart Street, Seymour | seymour@ourplace.org.au | Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm | Community Pantry and Seasonal Garden | Anyone involved with the Seymour Family & Children's Centre |
Seymour Flexible Learning Centre | 50 Tallarook Street, Seymour | 0419 481 754 | Monday - Thursday 9am - 4pm | Foodbank Pantry | Children and Youth |
The SEED Project | 47A Anglesey Street, Seymour | 0482 188 099 seedproject@bsl.org.au | Monday - Thursday 9am-5pm | Food Pantry (non-perishable and personal items) | Any women involved with The SEED Project |
For more information:
healthykidsmitchell@gmail.com
Current as of 10.08.2023
Active Living Projects
Goulburn River Trail parkrun, Seymour
During the Seymour 2022 community workshops, the most requested project was a parkrun in Seymour. Along with the support from Healthy Kids Mitchell, Co-Event Directors Lucy & Peter and Event Ambassador Marcus worked with parkrun Global, Vic Health and Mitchell Shire Council to organise the launch of parkrun events at the Goulburn River Trail in Seymour.
What is parkrun?
parkrun is a free, weekly community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.
parkrun is a 5km track that can be completed at any pace. parkrun is a family-friendly event - children and dogs are welcome to participate!
When is it?
parkrun is held every Saturday morning at 8am!
Where is it?
The event takes place at Goulburn River Trail, Lions Park, Manners St, Seymour, Vic, 3660. See parkrun’s course page for more details.
What does it cost?
parkrun is a FREE event.
Participants are required to register before coming to the event. To register, go to parkrun.com.au and bring along your scannable barcode on the day!
Volunteers
parkrun events are organised and delivered every week by volunteers; if you want to join us, find out more on the parkrun volunteering page or send us an email!
goulburnrivertrailseymour@parkrun.com
There are plenty of opportunities to try new roles, apply your skills or learn new ones, be with friends and family, meet people and be a part of the parkrun community.
You don’t need any experience and there are a range of roles to choose from, and many of them can be combined with walking or running too!
For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please email goulburnrivertrailseymour@parkrun.com
Inclusive Sports
Through the RESPOND Project, we heard from the community that people with a disability have limited opportunities to engage in sports and join sporting clubs.
We collaborated with representatives from Healthy Kids Mitchell, Mitchell Shire Council, Valley Sports, Murrindindi Shire Council, and Valley Parasports Inclusion to form an Inclusive Sports Collaborative. The collaborative works together to support local sports clubs, and encourage people with a disability to participate in local sporting opportunities.
In May and June 2023, we kicked off six Inclusive Sports "Come and Try" sessions at the Seymour Sports and Aquatic Centre, including:
- Wheelchair Basketball
- Wheelchair Rugby
- AFL
- Soccer
- Skateboarding
The response was fantastic, with participants enjoying the activities and benefiting from the physical fitness aspects.
To promote inclusion, the Inclusive Sports Collaborative organized an information session for local sporting clubs, attended by six clubs. Guest speakers from the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA), Benalla Basketball, FIDA from Bendigo, and Mitchell Rangers Soccer Club shared insights on promoting inclusion within their clubs.
Our goal is to encourage local sports clubs to become more inclusive and welcoming for people with a disability.
Following the positive feedback, we hosted another series of six-week Inclusive Sports "Come and Try" sessions in November and December. This time, the sessions include Zumba, Basketball/Wheelchair Basketball, Athletics, Netball/Wheelchair Netball, Pickleball, and a Games Day to celebrate International Day for People with a Disability on December 6th.
Participants have enjoyed these sessions, and the feedback has been incredibly positive. We plan to continue promoting sports and encourage local clubs to embrace inclusivity, creating a community where everyone can stay fit, active, and involved.
Celebrating International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD)
IDPwD is a United Nations (UN) day observed internationally. It aims to promote community awareness, understanding and acceptance of the 4.4 million people with disability. The theme for IDPwD 2023 is ‘United in action to rescue and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for, with and by persons with disabilities.’ The 2023 theme for IDPwD asks everyone to work together to make the world better and fairer for people with disability.
To celebrate International Day of People with Disability, a games day was held on the 6th of December as part of the Inclusive Sports Come and Try sessions!
The games day included a variety of fun games for everyone including:
- Wheelchair Basketball
- Soccer
- AFL
The day was very successful, with 11 participants for those under 18 and 15 over 18. Everyone had so much fun. Thank you to the Inclusive Sports Collaborative for your ongoing support.
To Learn More About Inclusive Sports
For further information contact
Wendy Kelly of Nexus Primary Health
Active Living Guide & Events Calendar
In our Seymour RESPOND workshops, the community identified that they would like to access a resource that provides information and advice about physical activity options and events within the community. The below link will take you to the Mitchell Shire Council Events Calendar, which identifies some of the physical activity options and providers in the Seymour area.
Upcoming events in our Shire.
Discover local markets, art exhibitions, business and networking opportunities, library programs, family and community events and more.
Are you hosting a public event in Mitchell Shire? You'll need to complete an event expression of interest form.
View details on how you can promote your event in our calendar.
Healthy Eating Projects
FAmily Cooking Classes!
With
Mitchell
HEALTHY KIDS
Following the Respond workshops undertaken in 2022, work has been underway on various projects to help children in the
northern Mitchell Shire to grow up healthy.
One of the projects the community identified as in need was the development of locally run cooking classes that utilise budget-friendly seasonal ingredients to cook healthy meals, while also offering nutritional tips and support.
The classes will be run in cooking facilities at a community central location, and a range of recipes will be on offer for children and their parents or carers to come and learn. The cooking classes will be a great opportunity not only for learning new skills, but also for making friends!
The cooking classes will involve a diverse range of community members, which in collaboration with dietitian advice will help the program to offer a variety of cooking classes that incorporate delicious healthy produce, essential cooking skills, and important aspects of kitchen safety.
Development of the program is currently underway, and once more information is available, we will let the community know!
Water Warriors Program
During our workshops, the community identified that there are not enough drinking water fountains and access to drinking water in public places.
The Water Warriors Program is an initiative that aims to increase access to drinking water in the Seymour community. The program includes a list of local businesses and refill taps where the community can fill up a water bottle.
In 2023, Healthy Kids Mitchell worked collaboratively in partnership with Goulburn Valley Water to purchase 1000 drink bottles to give away to the community. The drink bottles have been handed out at multiple community events across the year, including access to a Goulburn Valley Water Refill Station so the community could fill up their new water bottles!
Healthy Kids Mitchell are also working with Mitchell Shire Council to install a new water fountain at Station Street in Seymour.
Seymour Water Warriors
Seymour Water Warriors
Healthy Kids Mitchell, Mitchell Shire Council, and Goulburn Valley Water have collaborated with the Choose Tap Initiative to provide reusable water bottles to the community. You can refill your reusable water bottle at the below local businesses.
Baracca Lane Cafe
52 Station Street
Caffeine Bistro
100 Station Street
Seymour Kebab House
83 Anzac Avenue
Seymour Toyota
21 Emily Street
Cafe 96
96 Station Street
Smokin' Joe's Pizza & Grill
8B Tallarook Street
Subway
Shop 3/2 Bishop Street
Inari Sushi
2/78 Station Street
Ferguson Plarre Bakehouse
78 Station Street
Ourplace Seymour
29 Stewart Street
Doug's Bakery
113 Anzac Avenue
Araminta's Tea Room
56 Tallarook Street
News & Updates
Check out our Facebook page to stay updated on our Healthy Kids Mitchell projects and other relevant local information, projects and activities!
Our Partners and Stakeholders
Healthy Kids Mitchell acknowledges and thanks our valued partners and stakeholders
Rotary Club of Seymour District 9790
Contact Us
Meeting Times:
Healthy Kids Mitchell
First Monday of the month 10am - 11am
Seymour Food Relief Collaborative
Second Wednesday of the month 10am - 11am
If you have a question or enquiry, or if you would like to be involved in Healthy Kids Mitchell, contact us via email or check out our Facebook Page:
2023 Healthy Kids Mitchell