YMCA Victoria x The Embrace Collective Partnership
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It takes a village to raise a confident kid: YMCA Victoria and The Embrace Collective join forces
A new partnership between The Embrace Collective and YMCA Victoria (The Y) will train early learning educators and outside school hours care staff to build better body image in children, and bring free resources to Victorian families.
Children as young as three already have clear ideas about bodies and how they should look. Those ideas are shaped in all the environments where kids live, learn and play and by the adults they see every day; at child care, at school, in their recreation time and at home.
2023 Australian of the Year Taryn Brumfitt and international body image expert Dr Zali Yager have built evidence-based programs for all of those places. Now they're bringing them to the Y.
Today The Embrace Collective, the health promotion charity they co-founded, launched a partnership with Y Victoria at the YMCA Clyde North Early Learning Centre and Kingswim. The partnership will upskill Y Victoria staff to help children build positive relationships with food, movement and their bodies. It will also reach families who use the Y’s services, so consistent messages carry on at home.
“Children don't learn how to feel about their bodies from one person or in one place. They learn from the words they hear, the attitudes they see and the adults who show up in their lives every day. From the educator reading a story to the swim teacher on the pool deck, every interaction is an opportunity to build body confidence, not body shame,” Brumfitt says.
“That's what makes this partnership with YMCA Victoria so powerful. Their people are showing up for children in communities right across the state, every single day. When we equip those adults with the knowledge, confidence and language to make a difference, the impact goes far beyond one child. It reaches families, communities and ultimately, an entire generation. Because changing the way the world feels about bodies starts with changing the conversations we have with our kids.”
Katie Adams, General Manager Children and Youth Programs, said “Our early learning educators and OSHC teams talk with children about food, movement and bodies every day. What they say stays with those children.
“This training gives our teams the research behind those conversations and the words to get them right. We want every child who comes to the Y to feel good about what their body can do,”
A national health crisis that starts young
Research shows:
- 77% of young Australians report body image distress (Milton et al., 2021)
- Young people dissatisfied with their bodies are 24 times more likely to develop anxiety and depression (McLean et al., 2021; Bornioli et al., 2021)
- Eating disorder rates have doubled since 2019, particularly among children aged 5–12 (Milton et al., 2021)
- 1 in 3 adolescent girls meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder (Mitchison et al., 2020)
“The research is clear: the earlier we start, the better. Building better body image and confidence from the beginning can reduce a child's lifetime risk of eating disorders and depression,” says Dr Yager.
“Body appreciation is also linked to better mental health and kids staying active for longer. Our programs are built on that evidence, with researchers, educators and people with lived experience, and our Embrace Kids Classroom Program improved body image and wellbeing in two Flinders University studies.
“This partnership puts that evidence in the hands of the adults who spend their days with children. When the messages are consistent across every setting, they stick.”
What the partnership delivers
The Embrace Collective's evidence-based programs will be available to YMCA Victoria staff through Y Academy, the organisation's online learning platform:
- Early learning educators will complete Body Blocks: seven short, self-paced video modules and a workbook to help children from birth to eight years develop positive relationships with food, movement and their bodies. It's aligned with the Early Years Learning Framework.
- Outside school hours care staff will have access to the Embrace Kids Teacher Masterclass, a short and engaging video with practical advice on what to say, and what not to say, about bodies, food and weight.
- Families will receive free Embrace magazines through YMCA early learning and recreation centres, with a focus on communities that face greater disadvantage.