For our Term 3 health project for 2023, we were given a task, and that task was to create a stall for an expo about wellbeing. Our idea was to focus our stall about the effects of Sport on mental health and wellbeing. Our stall idea was simple – A small hoop and posters next to us at a table. We would be asking questions about mental health – the answers would be found on the said posters and if answered right, the contestants would have an opportunity to shoot a hoop to get a sticker prize.

Two of the biggest things we learnt, were just how many people suffer from mental issues around Australia and how much sport helps with your mental health wellbeing. In Australia, around 5%, or 800,000 people suffer from some form of mental illness and this number shocked us. We did not think it was such a prevalent issue, and it was one of the takeaways we got from this project. The other major takeaway was the fact that sport is an incredibly efficient way to boost mental wellbeing. We knew it was something that boosted your wellbeing, but the innumerable surveys and studies that proved it were surprising to us. The biggest things we learnt from this task is how many people suffer from mental issues and how much sport can help your wellbeing.

Our advice to young people with their mental health and sport is to stay fit and healthy. If they have a healthier body, they may have a healthier mind. We also recommend team sports, as they can help with communication and team building skills at a younger age. Sports can also improve our sleep habits, help maintain a healthy weight, boost your self-confidence and help with leadership, all good things for children.

We have created a pledge that we must stick by after this project:

We hereby pledge to keep ourselves healthy and fit, via sport and other physical recreational activities. At least once every week, we will do physical exercise to keep our mental health in check.

Signed
Rhys Miller, Conor Stevens, Marcus Wee & Adam Nelson