The Alternate Leisure Initiative

An initiative to increase physical activity and social connection in Alternate Leisure settings

Alternate leisure settings are defined as:

dance studios
trampoline centres
children’s play centres
entertainment centres
ten pin bowling centres

arcade
water parks
go karting
laser tag settings
rock climbing centres and more.

The Alternate Leisure Initiative will help your setting to strengthen your health and wellbeing practices and create healthier environments. It will help you look at all areas of your setting and how these can be changed to improve the health and wellbeing for everyone who visits.

We recognise that, as an alternate leisure setting, you are already encouraging physical activity and social connection. The Alternate Leisure Initiative focuses on improving environments for healthy eating and inclusion, and being involved will help more people access the benefits of your setting.

Benefits of getting involved

In addition to improving health and wellbeing of your employees and community, there are a number of other benefits:

It is completely FREE to be involved and so is the ongoing support
Free promotion and publicity
Receive local level, expert support to guide your setting through the process and build local connections
Strengthen community connection and improve accessibility to your setting
Shape the initiative to your needs and focus on your choice of health area
Work at your own pace with support tailored accordingly
Increase promotion of your setting to the community
Access to free health and wellbeing workshops for your setting
Increase community visitation to your setting through the provision of free entry fees

How was it developed?

The Alternate Leisure Initiative has been created through an ethics-approved research project that used co-design and design thinking principles, titled ‘Exploring Alternate Leisure settings as a place-based health promotion approach’.

The research project showed that alternate leisure settings supported people’s social, physical and mental health and wellbeing. The final Alternate Leisure Initiative has been created based on community needs.

Read more about our research project findings here.

How does it work?

Alternate leisure settings can work through the initiative at your own pace in a step-by-step process while receiving expert, local-level support. There is a commitment stage to start actioning health and wellbeing practices, followed by two health areas to work through: healthy eating and inclusion.

If you identify your workplace as an alternate leisure setting, contact us to register your interest. We will then organise a meeting with you to further explain how to get started.

By working through The Alternate Leisure Initiative, you can be formally recognised as a healthy alternate leisure setting in your community.

Celebrating success

Alternate leisure businesses, Elemental Aerial Studio, For The Love of Dance and My Puzzle House, have all successfully completed the Inclusion area of The Alternate Leisure Initiative.

Tina, the Director of Elemental Aerial Studio, has implemented actions to ensure her studio is inclusive and accessible to all members of the community such as implementing a diversity and inclusion policy, celebrating cultures, and starting a children’s class.

Meagan, Owner of For The Love of Dance, has implemented an Acknowledgement of Country at all her concerts, updated her business website to ensure it is accessible and inclusive for all, and presented at a ‘healthy living for neurodiverse children’ webinar.

Mandi, Owner of My Puzzle House, has started an adults’ all abilities play session, implemented changes to the business website to improve accessibility, and added an Acknowledgement of Country on all brochures and flyers.

Congratulations to Elemental Aerial Studio, For The Love of Dance and My Puzzle House on their achievements!