UNDERSTANDING the benefits of spending time outdoors on physical and mental health, lead organisations have come together to launch the ‘Green Passport,’ a joint initiative between GV Health, MINDing the Gap project team and the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA), with support from Fairley Leadership.
Caitlin Baker, Heidi Twinning and Kathryn Maddox formed the MINDing the Gap project team in 2021 while participating in the Fairley Leadership Program.
“As a group, we’d had various levels of lived experience in navigating the mental health care system and had all in some way been impacted by gaps in the system,” said Ms Twinning.
Her husband Luke is a retired Victorian Police detective who lives with PTSD, depression and anxiety as a result of being psychologically injured during his 15-year police career. His clinical team often recommended connecting with nature to help Luke.
“A simple request for some, but for someone who is in a place of psychological pain, this can seem overwhelming. How do I do that? Where do I go? How do I plan for this?
“We identified four unique walks and developed the Green Passport, a nature tool designed to be simple, accessible and useful to individuals, support circles and health service providers,” Ms Twinning said.
Chris Cumming, CEO of GBCMA, said this is how the Green Passport is making the therapeutic value of being outdoors is accessible for all.
“It’s creating a pathway for vulnerable people, people that are struggling that perhaps don’t know or aren’t in the place at the moment to find ways to connect to nature but who are struggling at the moment,” said Ms Cumming.
The Green Passport provides information about four different regional walks suitable for a range of fitness levels covering stunning wetlands to picturesque scenery. Included walks are Shepparton’s Victoria Park Lake Walk and Reedy Swamp Walk, Tatura’s Cussen Park Sound Walk, and for something a little more challenging, Dookie’s Mount Major Walking Trails.
Print yours at www.gvhealth.org.au/wp-content/uploads/GreenPassport_WEB.pdf
