Winner – AUSActive National Award for Social Value + Community Impact
Thriving in Motion Celebrates National Recognition for Impact and Inclusion in 2025
Thriving in Motion is proud to announce its recent award-winning achievements, celebrating the organisation’s ongoing commitment to supporting children, teens, and trans and gender diverse young people through movement, connection, and community.
AUSActive National Award for Social Value & Community Impact – Kids + Teens Program
Thriving in Motion’s Kids & Teens Program has been named the 2025 AUSactive National Award winner for Social Value & Community Impact. This milestone reflects 14 years of dedicated support from Telethon7 and The University of Western Australia, where we provide face-to-face exercise programs for kids and young people who experience challenges or barriers to physical activity participation at school or in the community.
Co-Founder and COO, Dr Kemi Wright, shares:
“We design every session with therapeutic goals in mind, but for our kids and teens, it’s all about joy, connection, and feeling part of something positive. That’s where change truly begins.”
WA Association of Mental Health Diversity & Inclusion Award – Youth Moves
In addition, Thriving in Motion’s Youth Moves Program has been honoured with the Diversity & Inclusion Award at the 2025 WA Mental Health Awards. The program supports trans and gender diverse young people by creating safe, affirming spaces to move their bodies, build confidence, and experience joy without judgment. The Youth Moves program delivers small-group movement sessions co-designed with trans young people and delivered in partnership with community organisations to ensure safety, belonging, and autonomy in movement.
A program participant shared:
“What stands out is that it’s not just ‘accepting.’ My gender presentation doesn’t need to be put in a box for the program to work. The program facilitators care about you, but they don’t care how you dress or present, it simply doesn’t matter. I’ve been to ‘accepting’ gyms before, but they still wanted to categorise me, ‘So you’re a girl now?’ or ‘Now you’re a boy.’ Everything was gendered. Thriving is the opposite. Nothing is gendered. It’s just, ‘We’re human beings, movement is good for all of us, let’s move.’ And that’s what makes it so good.” — program participant.
The awards highlight Thriving in Motion’s ongoing mission to create inclusive health spaces that foster connection, confidence, and mental wellbeing.
Acknowledgements
Thriving in Motion thanks its dedicated team, lived experience leaders, and community partners, including The University of Western Australia, Telethon7, The Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport, and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundations.
For more information about Thriving in Motion and its programs, visit these links below:
Website: www.thrivinginmotion.org
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@thriving_in_motion
