In light of International Day of Charity, which takes place on Sunday the 5th of September, we’ve decided to dedicate a blog to Bluearth—because if you didn’t know, we ourselves are a registered not-for-profit charity.
Bluearth is dedicated to setting individuals up for a life of moving well through coach-led programs that engage and educate participants. We deliver a holistic Move Well approach in communities to inspire people to harness the power of moving well over a lifetime and experience the intrinsic physical, psychological and socio-cultural benefits of doing so.
But, where did things begin?
Read on to find out.
The origins of Bluearth
Bluearth Foundation was founded in 2000 by Malcolm Freake OAM. With an unwavering passion for active living and a vision to combat the dire impacts of sedentary living on young Australians, he sold his computer software company and embarked on a mission to instil a lifelong love of movement in all people across the country.
Malcolm understood that the greatest long-term benefit to an individual’s health could be achieved by influencing their critical habits, attitudes and behaviours at an early stage. With this in mind, he brought together internationally recognised experts (in human movement, education, psychology, elite sport and health) to develop an evidence-based approach that would be then applied in a program that could be delivered in schools, to help all kids move well and experience the intrinsic benefits of doing so.
In a very short time, the Bluearth Approach demonstrated substantial health, social and behavioural benefits to students, and became a national entity in 2005.
Coach Mitch Barrow began his journey with Bluearth from the foundation’s inception and is still coaching in the Surf Coast region of Victoria.
“I remember hearing about the concept of Bluearth before it was even born. I knew two of the key developers in Mark McGrath and Jeff Simons. I rang the Program Coordinator trying to find out more. He used words like kids, play, learning and development. He also said they were interested in the personal growth of the coaches…not just professionally but as humans. This blew me away. I’d never heard anything like this before. I wanted to be part of it”.
The original coaching team was made up of 12 individuals who hailed from different regions of Victoria, all with different backgrounds but the same passion for movement.
“Our training was intense, awesome and life changing. We immersed deeply in body-mind practices, led by experts in their fields. Rolling around on the floor like babies, sprinting in bare feet, going into freezing cold water, throwing frisbees, 4-hour yoga sessions, vaulting handrails and staircases etc… all under the awesome exploration of movement and awareness”.
This philosophy of continually investing in the coaching team is fundamental to the program’s success, as the coaches bring personal experiences, expertise and knowledge to their roles in working with students and teachers.
Our core deliverable, the Active Schools Program, was originally called “The Discovery School Experience” or simply “Discovery”. It’s duration was 10 weeks (one term) in schools, but the team quickly realised that they couldn’t achieve the impact they wanted in such a short time. The program then evolved into a full-year model called the Active Schools Program, which suited Bluearth’s mission much better and continues running in schools to this day.
The Bluearth impact
Bluearth Foundation has brought the joy and power of movement to more than 400,000 students in 1,400 schools around Australia, including Indigenous schools, special schools, and disadvantaged communities.
Want to bring the power of movement to your school? Get in touch with us.