People and Parks Health Trust

The People and Parks Health Trust is a charitable public trust administered by the People and Parks Foundation for the purposes of promoting health and wellbeing through connection with nature. In 20232024, People and Parks Health Trust via its trustee the People and Parks Foundation, engaged with government, community, corporate and philanthropic sectors to further develop the Live Nature Wise: Nature Scripts program. This is a health intervention connecting vulnerable people with nature in a programmatic setting, with coaching and mentoring to support positive behaviour change. We collaborated with headspace Shepparton (operated by Goulburn Valley Health) and researchers from the University of Melbourne to design, implement and evaluate a pilot program aimed at supporting young people facing mental health challenges. Preliminary findings showed notable improvements in participants' wellbeing, with many expressing an interest in continuing the activities beyond the program.