Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth)

We’re on the hunt for a marketing and communications generalist to join our Brand & Content team as a coordinator. In this role, you’ll have the opportunity to use your storytelling and creative content development skills to help improve the health and wellbeing of Victorians. Applications close Wednesday 23 April. Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gVCMSHQs

If you’ve got a knack for plain-language copywriting, excellent knowledge of UX and UI design fundamentals, and experience in data analysis, monitoring and reporting – then we’ve got a job for you. We’re looking for a Lead to join our Digital Marketing team on a full-time, ongoing basis. In this role, you’ll be part of the team looking after our website and email strategies – so experience in those areas is essential. Applications close Monday 14 April. Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/eNYF5waS

Girls starting their footy journey at St Kilda City Football Club have never had the opportunity to play senior footy together. The club hasn’t had the resources to field a senior team in their region’s women’s competition, and the local VFLW team folded six years ago. But with a thriving girls program at the Peanut Farm - the St Kilda City community knew that the opportunity was there. So last year, they applied for one of our Growing Healthy Communities grants. We know that cost is a key reason that women don’t try a new sport or join a new team, and receiving the grant meant that St Kilda City can cover the costs of uniforms and registrations for new and continuing players. That’s a huge barrier to participation - gone. Last week, St Kilda City ran out for their first ever Southern Football League Women’s Division 2 match - and we got to be there alongside local member Nina Taylor MP to toss the coin. Congratulations to everyone down at the Peanut Farm for bringing this project to life.

Important research doesn’t just happen. It’s a culmination of hard work, dedication, and curiosity. And we know that our 2025 Postdoctoral Research Fellows have that in spades. We’re so excited to welcome Dr Erika Martino and Dr Franka Vaugan from University of Melbourne and Dr Melissa Kennedy from Deakin University on board. Over the next three years, we’ll support them while they dig deeper into wellbeing economics and the impacts of racism on physical and mental health. This is really important work – and we’re rapt we can play a part in it.

The Community Grocer's new market in Melton has only been open for three weeks. But word has spread fast, with around 100 people coming through its doors each week to stock up on fresh fruit and veg at prices below the big supermarkets. Why is that important? Research by Deakin University and Western Public Health Unit found if from age two, people in the region ate just one extra vegetable a day over their life, it would save $182M in health care costs. Our Executive Manager for Health Promotion Systems Michelle Murray dropped by with local member Steve McGhie MP to see the market in full swing and catch up with The Community Grocer CEO Georgia Savage and volunteers. The Community Grocer is just one of the 84 organisations we’re investing in as part of our Growing Healthy Communities grant program. We are excited to see the market keep growing to help more Victorians access healthy food – and none of this would be possible without the support of the Melton Food Systems Collective, Melton City Council, Western Public Health Unit and Western Health.

The healthiest choice should be the easiest choice. But right now – that's not the case. The built environment of where we live plays a huge role in our health – and particularly, in the health of our littlest Victorians. Living somewhere with poor access to fresh food, higher numbers of fast-food outlets, and unsafe or inadequate areas for outdoor activities is directly linked to worse physical health. That’s why we’ve supported Dr Cindy Needham from Deakin University to create the Food Retail Outlet Monitoring Tool, and why we’re supporting hundreds of community groups around the state to make nutritious, culturally appropriate food and inclusive movement more accessible to everyone. Learn more about our work here: https://lnkd.in/gke43Dj5

We’re on the hunt for an experienced digital marketer and team leader to join our Social Marketing & Communications team on a 12-month fixed term contract. This role is perfect for someone with demonstrable digital marketing experience and strong people management skills, ideally developed working in the public health, community or government sectors. Applications are now open and close on Tuesday, 15 April 2025. Find out more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gdcCkyex

It’s been a big week for our new CEO, Professor Anna Peeters, AM, FAHMS, CF, GAICD – and it’s only Wednesday! Professor Peeters has spent the last couple of days meeting staff and getting deeper into the work we do for the community. She already had a great understanding, having been on our board for some years. We couldn’t be more excited to have her join us.

It’s official – we’ve launched our world-leading research translation centre with Deakin University. We were joined by Dr Francesco Branca, the outgoing Director of the Department of Nutrition and Safety at the World Health Organization, who told us that eight million deaths per year are linked to unhealthy diets. Dr Branca spoke about how the commoditisation of food has given rise to ultra-processed foods and hindered food from being “a common good” for everyone to enjoy. We also got to learn more about the work of our five outgoing research fellows. They have improved our understanding on topics like how misleading marketing on some children’s food products trick parents into thinking it is healthy, and the importance of bringing community voices to the food policy table. Their work not only highlighted the need to invest in early career researchers but also cements the need for a research centre like this. We can’t wait to see the research to come out of the centre over the next five years and look forward to seeing research spark real change.

David Booth's (aka artist Ghostpatrol) mum was a volunteer with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. So it’s only fitting that he was the artist to bring to life drawings done by kids at Debney Meadows Primary School in Flemington as part of this beautiful new mural at the Queen Victoria Market. Debney Meadows Primary School is one of hundreds of Victorian schools where the Kitchen Garden program runs, giving kids the opportunity to get hands-on with their food from start to finish. You can check the mural out in Shed A at the Queen Victoria Market, facing Victoria St. And if you do – tag us in your pics!