Dr Erica Randle from La Trobe’s School of Nursing and Midwifery is leading at project that focuses on the important role of community sport in fostering connection, particularly for young people and regional communities.
The project is a partnership between La Trobe’s Australian Institute for Primary Care and Ageing and the Centre for Sport and Social Impact, alongside industry partners. It will co-design an Impact of Community Sport Toolkit to help clubs and associations create safe, inclusive environments, measure their impact, and better communicate the value of sport.
The initiative is expected to support increased participation, stronger community connection, and more diverse engagement in local sport.
Dr David Fleming-Munoz from the La Trobe Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Food and La Trobe Business School is leading a project that aims to develop an evidence-based framework to better understand food insecurity across Victoria.
The objective is to identify how food production, distribution and retail access interact with household vulnerability and health outcomes, and how these relationships may change under future climate scenarios.
The findings will support more coordinated, preventative policy responses and reduce reliance on emergency food relief.
La Trobe’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation, Professor Chris Pakes congratulated both researchers on their success.
“These projects demonstrate La Trobe’s commitment to addressing complex challenges, from creating safe and inclusive community sport environments that foster belonging, to advancing critical research on how climate change will shape food systems, food security, and health outcomes across Victoria,” Professor Pakes said.
“Together, their work will deliver practical tools and evidence to support stronger communities and more effective policy and prevention strategies.”
Dr Randle was awarded $244,710 for her project, Community Sport BASICS: Building Safe and Inclusive Community Sport Spaces. Dr David Fleming-Munoz received $229,725 for Agri-food systems and climate change in Victoria.
VicHealth Impact Research Grants support projects that create real-world improvements in health and wellbeing across Victoria.
