A Shepparton physiotherapist and a wife of a former AFL star are joining forces to help young women in a project called ‘The Live Life Whole Project’.
Project founder Megan Dickinson, who is originally from Shepparton, said as a physiotherapist she saw young women presenting themselves with health concerns.
“There were some truly heartbreaking stories that in my eyes could perhaps have been prevented had they known more,” Mrs Dickinson said.
“As a result, I went on to further my knowledge and study across all of these areas to help support my clients, as it became so evident that education was the missing link.”
Through her job in the healthcare industry, Mrs Dickinson met Sarah Roughead, the wife of former AFL star Jarryd.
The pair based some of the project around Sarah’s experiences and concerns during pregnancy.
The project is designed to educate and empower young women in all areas of health to improve their overall outcomes in years to come.
Mrs Roughead said she and Mrs Dickinson were extremely passionate about giving the right information to girls and their families to help them live a healthy life.
Research collected from organisations, including the US National Eating Disorders Association, has shown 70 per cent of adolescent girls have body dissatisfaction.
Eating disorders are the 12th leading cause of hospitalisation in Australia.
Twenty-one per cent of girls aged 16 to 18 years old have severe pain with periods and 26 per cent of girls have missed school because of period symptoms.
Both women believe their project provides the best opportunity for the next generation of young women to learn about their health.
“(We want to) give the next generation the health knowledge, tools and resources so many women our age wish they had when they were in school — and this is a big part of our mission,” Mrs Dickinson said.
“As we have just seen from the floods in the surrounding areas of Shepparton: who knows the community better than those living in regional areas?”
Mrs Dickinson said the project offered online programs and workshops.
“We have online programs for girls and to-do-at-home tasks with support from their parents, or our face-to-face workshops, which are delivered in schools and sporting groups,” Mrs Dickinson said.
Both women are hoping to build on their project to design more modules for the future.
To access the The Live Life Whole Project search for it on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram @thelivelifewholeproject, or visit the website www.thelivelifewholeproject.com.au