Get Active Program
The Get Active Program (GAP) is our flagship program. It aims to increase participation in physical activity among those who are most challenged in getting active.
GAP Contacts
For all GAP enquiries please contact:
Mel Bush
Telephone: 03 6223 4416
Mobile: 0418 296 925
Email: gap@wsrt.org.au
To Register for the Facilitator Traning Workshop - Hobart November 30 - Click Here
Aims of GAP
- To increase the involvement of groups not engaged in physical activity to a level where they will experience the benefits of participation and choose to sustain this (i.e. behaviour change followed by attitude change).
- To increase self-esteem, confidence and assertiveness, with a focus on groups most 'at risk' in terms of health and wellbeing.
- To encourage and facilitate participation in physical activity and develop individuals' self-management skills so that they will independently participate in physical activity.
- To link people into groups in their communities.
- To provide people with tools to actively engage in physical activity.
- To assist people to address barriers that inhibit their participation in physical activity.
- To establish a network of trained GAP Facilitators and physical activity options throughout the state.
Facilitator Resources
Included here are some useful contact details for GAP Facilitators.
The Health Promotion Coordinators may be a good point of contact for advise on seeking funds; they may assist with access to venues/facilities; or they may have information/brochures etc which they could give to facilitators to distribute.
Getting ideas from other facilitators could be useful. The full list of current facilitators are below.
- Health Promotion Coordinator Contacts
- Health Promotion Calendar
- GAP Northwest Facilitators
- GAP Northern Facilitators
- GAP Southern and Eastern Facilitators
- Beaconsfield GAP March to May 2010 - a great example of a successful GAP
- GAP Activity Providers North West
GAP Tools
About GAP
GAP is a statewide initiative that aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of men and women through involvement in physical activity, and to encourage healthy eating habits. Participants take part in a 10-week series of 2-hour workshops, the first hour of which covers such issues as motivation, stress management, self-esteem and goal setting, and the second hour is spent on fun physical activities which the group itself chooses.
GAP specifically seeks to engage people of all ages who are not currently physically active, and who may have experienced barriers to physical activity such as lack of confidence and motivation, negative body image, concerns about personal safety and who may lack knowledge about the benefits of healthy eating. Groups are usually male or female-specific, but can be mixed if appropriate.
GAP has been operating in Tasmania since 2005, and has achieved significant benefits for participants. One of the many strengths of the program is its flexibility to meet the different needs of participants, as it is able to be adapted to suit any target group, e.g. men and women of all ages, and from a diversity of backgrounds. For instance, programs have been run for refugee women from different ethnic backgrounds, teenagers, middle-aged, rural and isolated, and people who have, or are at risk of developing, diabetes. Additional session modules are being developed for other target groups such as cancer sufferers, and any additional modules will be posted on the website as soon as they are finalised.
GAP facilitators are trained by accredited trainers, and also receive a comprehensive folder of resources. The folder contains all the information a newly trained facilitator needs to run a GAP, including session plans for the ten sessions, as well as a variety of useful worksheets and handouts for participants. Our facilitators are the face of the program, and are the main people that participants have contact with. Facilitators also receive ongoing support from the GAP Manager and GAP Coordinator, including regular email and personal contacts, newsletters, and regional get-togethers organised by Womensport and Recreation Tasmania (WSRT).
We are always on the lookout for new facilitators across Tasmania, and both men and women are welcome to apply for training - contact our program co-ordinator if you are interested.
You may be eligible to apply for a grant from WSRT to help you to run your GAP. A grant application form is available. For more information about obtaining grants, please contact the program co-ordinator.
Feedback
“One woman who was part of our GAP had done no physical activity at all for years. She came to the group and began to get involved in her local community. She ended up joining a committee of a local community organisation.”
“One of the women in my group has now taken on the role of keeping the group together after the official program ended. The change in confidence we noticed in her was amazing.”
“It is about so much more than physical activity.”
“I got a letter telling me about the Get Active Program when I was at my lowest point. All I could do was go to work and sit in a chair for the rest of the time. I was so miserable and didn't have the energy to do anything. Going to the group did something wonderful for me. I finally felt on top of things. Before this I felt so alone. The Get Active Program really helped to push me back into the world. We did a whole range of things - croquet, racket ball, ball games. There was a big age range in the group (20-65) but that did not matter at all. We set our own rules and got on really well together.”
“I heard about the program through my sister. At the time I was not at all physically active. I was also conscious that I was overweight and unfit. I felt too self-conscious to go to a gym or a club. Going to the Get Active course I hoped to find something that was right for me. The group leader was inspiring. I met other women and have stayed in contact with them since. The beauty about the Get Active Program is that you get to try a whole lot of things that would not be possible unless you enrolled in lots of Adult Education courses. I got to try Pilates, fit ball, ballroom dancing, Tai Chi…”
Photos
Acknowledgements
WSRT acknowledge the support of Womensport and Recreation Victoria (WSRV) who ran the Women Get Active Program successfully from 2001 until 2004. The program and its resources have now become the property of WSRT, and have been updated and developed to meet the needs of the Tasmanian community. The program has been expanded to include a broader population group, including males, and to offer participants a sound understanding of the importance of healthy eating as well as physical activity. It has been re-named GAP.
During 2004–2006, funding was received from the Community Support Levy and the Premier's Physical Activity Council to establish GAP in Tasmania. The Australian Better Health Initiative: A joint Australian, State and Territory government initiative funded the program between 2007 and 2009.
GAP in Tasmania is supported by an Advisory Committee which comprises representatives from the following government bodies:
- Premier's Physical Activity Council (PPAC) on behalf of Sport and Recreation Tasmania (SRT)
- Population Health - Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
- Women Tasmania, Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPAC)
- Learning Services, Department of Education (DoE)
GAP is owned by Womensport and Recreation Tasmania Inc and receives funding through the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services.
