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Movement Matters: Physical Activity as a Frontline Mental Health Strategy for Youth

AWARENESS STATEMENT

For Immediate Release

20 July 2025


Movement Matters: Physical Activity as a Frontline Mental Health Strategy for Youth
Movement Matters: Physical Activity as a Frontline Mental Health Strategy for Youth

A growing chorus of experts, educators, and front-line workers are sounding the alarm: Australia’s children are not okay. A new report featured by 7News reveals that half of young Australians are experiencing psychological distress, marking what may be the most urgent youth mental health crisis in generations.


At the Vocational Mental Health Practitioners Association of Australia (VMHPAA), we acknowledge this painful reality and we also recognise that innovative, community-led, and accessible interventions must be part of the solution.


The University of South Australia’s meta-analysis of over 38,000 young people across global clinical trials brings a beacon of hope. It suggests that physical activity - movement, sport, and structured play - is not just good for the body; it’s transformative for the mind. When thoughtfully integrated into schools, youth programs, and family routines, movement can significantly reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress.


Movement is Mental Health Care


This revelation is not new to vocationally trained practitioners. Whether it's a youth mentor using dance to help a teenager reconnect, a community support worker running kickball with isolated kids, or a counsellor embedding breath-work and body awareness into sessions - movement is already a modality of healing used by many of our members every day.


We call for:


  • Increased recognition of vocationally trained youth workers, counsellors, and community practitioners as legitimate, accessible supports in schools and local services.

  • Investment in localised, grassroots prevention strategies, including play-based and physical programs, that promote connection, self-regulation, and confidence.

  • Multidisciplinary mental health models that recognise the power of exercise physiology, sport coaching, somatic counselling, and therapeutic recreation as evidence-informed interventions.


Let’s Reframe the Conversation


As Chair Shane Warren reminds us:

“Mental health support for young people can’t be confined to clinics. Sometimes the most powerful therapy happens in a park, a gym, or a backyard when a young person starts to feel safe enough to laugh again. Our systems must evolve to honour those moments of movement as moments of healing.” Shane Warren

And as Secretary Susan Sandy, a long-time relationship counsellor and youth wellbeing advocate, adds:


“Kids don’t always have the words to explain their inner world. Movement helps them process emotion, build trust, and reconnect with hope. It’s time we stop treating these strategies as ‘soft options’ they’re essential tools in our national response.” Susan Sandy

Let’s Act Now


The mental health of the next generation cannot be delayed by system silos or outdated models. We must:


  • Prioritise funding for early, community-embedded interventions

  • Recognise vocational practitioners as crucial access points for care

  • Support schools to implement whole-child wellbeing approaches


Australia’s children deserve to thrive, not survive. The research is clear. Movement heals. Connection transforms. Community matters. Let’s invest in the practitioners and programs that bring these principles to life.


Media Contact:

Shane Warren, Chair

Susan Sandy, Secretary

Philip Armstrong, CEO

VMHPAA



#YouthMentalHealth#MovementForMentalHealth#CommunityCare#EarlyIntervention#MentalWellbeingMatters#SupportYoungMinds#VocationalPractitioners#ActiveMindsActiveBodies#MentalHealthSolutions#VMHPAA

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