Surfing Victoria claim Victorian Health Promotion Award

SURFING Victoria has become second time winners at the Victorian Health Promotion Awards, taking home the Future Healthy Award for its Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program.

Hosted on Monday night at The Capital at RMIT University in Melbourne, the awards crowned winners across nine divisions, showcasing the fantastic work that community organisations do to provide Victorians with the opportunities to enjoy good health.

Identified as the longest serving program of its kind (25 years), the Victorian Indigenous Surfing Program uses surfing as a vehicle to connect Indigenous Victorians from across the state with the ocean, community and nature.

The program teaches participants vital new skills, water safety knowledge and healthy habits that go towards having a safe and healthy future which is exactly what the ‘Future Healthy’ category award encaptured.

Surfing Victoria Indigenous Aquatics Officer Jordie Campbell said the organisation were over the moon to receive the title on Monday night.

“It’s the second time we’ve won a Vic Health Award and the first time since 2010,” Campbell said.

“We are pretty stoked to win it, we’ve done a lot of great work in the last 25 years and it’s fantastic to get that recognition.

“For the award to come on the back of the Koori Titles which was as successful as it’s ever been from an attendance point of view is another big reward.

“It’s worked out to be really timely period to receive the award!”

The Victorian Health award capped off a fantastic 12-month period for Surfing Victoria, who also received the Woolworths Indigenous Surfing Community Celebration Award at the Australian Surfing Awards in May.

Surfing Victoria hope the program continues to work with Victoria’s young people to help them overcome barriers and improve their health and wellbeing in their 25th year of the activation.

To learn more about the program, visit surfingvic.com/indigenous/