WSYD Moving Symposium

Last week, we were proud to sponsor and speak at Collective Lesiure’s Western Sydney (WSYD) Moving Symposium. The event was attended by over 100 participants from across the academic, sports science, community and health sectors, united with the vision of tackling chronic health issues in Western Sydney by encouraging and enabling more active lives.

The event included speeches and panels discussing early years education and physical literacy, increasing community access to physical activity, the vision for the new Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology hub, and building a “movement for moving”. Amongst the speakers were our Director of Primary Care Transformation and Integration, Jane Assange, our Senior Programs Manager, Scott Walters, and Dr Jaspreet Saini, who spoke about the challenging context of chronic health in Western Sydney, how we are tackling the problem through programs such as Live Life Get Active and Cardiology in Community, and how to build a multi-sector health care neighbourhood.

The overarching message from the symposium was of collaboration and the need to take a systems approach to change how we deliver sport. Since physical activity improves physical health, mental health, social connection and motor skills, a multi-sector approach is needed to get Western Sydney moving with input from education, health, sport and community sectors. Advocacy is needed across the board to ensure physical activities are more accessible and affordable and that logistical and cultural barriers are considered when designing physical programs. Within the health sector, the shift towards preventive medicine and its benefits is already clear. We all have a responsibility to get Western Sydney moving.