Year 9 Mind. Body. Pedal.

On Thursday 28th May, 40 Year 9 girls attended a day of Mind. Body. Pedal workshop run by a team of experts and professionals from Glen Eira City Council. This workshop encouraged them to reflect on their mental, physical, and social wellbeing, celebrating the differences that make girls unique, while addressing issues of self-esteem and confidence. 

The activities included 4 sessions focusing on 

• The Mind - a workshop addressing issues of self-esteem, peer pressure and social norms
• The Body - yoga and breathing exercises
• Pedal - a bike ride
• Shared stories and activities

It was pleasing to see students enjoy all the activities from Mind. Body. Pedal, while building positive connections with their peers throughout the day. The activities not only encouraged the students to develop physical confidence and healthy habits, but also provided practical strategies for managing stress, building resilience and maintaining overall wellbeing.

Peipei Guan

Year 9 Coordinator 

Student Reflections

Being able to participate in the Mind. Body. Pedal. program has been one of the biggest highlights of our year so far. In this program we were provided with various activities which focused on physical and mental wellbeing. Spanning from yoga to bike rides to having a deep emotional conversation about the true struggles of being a young female in modern society. We also got a special visit from a former Paralympian who inspired many of us by her motivating journey. One of the sessions we really enjoyed was the yoga-mindfulness experience, where we learnt to acknowledge how important it is to have a positive-balanced mindset and have a good relationship with yourself. In this session we performed some calm breathing and yoga exercises to really focus on these important aspects of wellbeing. 

Ultimately, we would recommend this experience to anyone and would 100% do it again!

Alika and Lucinda 9C

My favourite part was the shared stories where we got to listen to a very experienced para-athlete who had competed at the Paralympic Games and won medals. As an athlete myself, I particularly enjoyed listening to the challenges she had faced and how she learned to embrace herself and persevere through adversity. Her story really inspires me to keep pursuing my goal and always focus on the present. 

Cici 9B 

I enjoyed Mind. Body. Pedal a lot because although the topics made us think a lot about who we are, it brought all of us closer. We learnt how similar us girls are and how moving forward we can look after each other as a cohort. My favourite activity was the mindfulness yoga because it helped me realise how I can take care of myself and my body, even in stressful times. Mind. Body. Pedal truly opened our eyes and helped us realised our feelings. 

Kiara 9C

I mastered how to be active (riding a bike). I really enjoyed how to bounce back from problems and to always see the good in things instead of the bad. I also enjoyed seeing an Olympian and her telling all of us her story and how she faced things and achieved her dreams. I am so happy to be able to take part of this program. 

I also learnt how to calm down in situations and to come back to earth and really how to focus on good habits with mental and physical health. I thought it was a very good way to empower girls to embrace an active lifestyle and improve their physical and mental wellbeing. I'd love to do it again!

Caitlin and Laurine 9C