Building an Inclusive, Trauma-Informed Leisure Workforce
A new pilot is aiming to build the capability of movement professionals to support more inclusive participation and wellbeing.
Delivered through a partnership between Addi Moves and Collective Leisure, the Inclusive Leisure: Building Capacity for a Trauma Informed Workforce workshop brought together practitioners working across the sport, leisure and physical activity sectors.
Led by Uzma Choudhry and Chiara Mastrogiovanni from Addi Moves, supported by David Burns from Collective Leisure, the session focused on equipping movement professionals with practical skills to engage people from culturally diverse and lived-experience backgrounds in a safe, inclusive and responsive way.
Addi Moves is a free, trauma-informed and culturally responsive physical activity service based in Sydney. It is an initiative under the University of New South Wales and has been co-designed with individuals from refugee or asylum seeker backgrounds. Addi Moves supports individuals facing significant barriers to exercise — including those with lived experience of forced displacement, gender based-violence, and mental health challenges. Led by Accredited Exercise Physiologists, the program focuses on “moving your mood” through tailored group and individual sessions delivered in a safe, welcoming “not gym” environment. Since 2022, more than 1,700 sessions have been delivered, demonstrating both demand and impact.
“With Addi Moves at capacity, and a growing wait list, it’s critical that the people we support have other safe, inclusive places to continue their movement journey. This workshop is about involving the broader workforce in the conversation of creating opportunities for people to move safely, not just where services exist, but wherever people need them.” - Uzma Choudhry and Chiara Masrogiovanni, Exercise Physiologists, Addi Moves.
At a time when many communities are navigating complex social, cultural and personal challenges, the need for trauma-informed approaches within the sport and leisure workforce is becoming increasingly clear.
“If we want people to feel safe, included and able to participate in movement, we need a workforce that understands trauma, culture and context — and knows how to respond in practice.” - David Burns, CEO, Collective Leisure
If people are to feel safe, welcome and able to participate in movement, it is not enough to simply provide programs. The workforce must be equipped to understand trauma, recognise the influence of culture and context, and respond appropriately in practice.
The pilot focused on practical application, building awareness in working with diverse communities, while creating space for shared learning and reflection.
Collective Leisure is a certified social enterprise, recognised as a “business for good” by Social Traders and accredited with the international People and Planet First certification. Its mission is to reduce health inequity through innovative programs that promote physical activity and wellbeing, tailored to underserved communities.
Collective Leisure brings proven expertise in delivering programs supporting people in their mental health recovery, as well as culturally responsive approaches — both of which were showcased in the training.
This initiative builds on that mission — strengthening the workforce that underpins delivery. The partnership with Addi Moves brings specialist expertise in trauma-informed care and culturally responsive practice, enhancing the sector’s ability to design and deliver services that are not only accessible, but genuinely inclusive and effective.
Following the success of the pilot, Addi Moves and Collective Leisure plan to roll out further workshops to support movement professionals across the sector. The long-term ambition is to build workforce capability at scale, contributing to more inclusive systems that enable everyone to engage in physical activity, regardless of their background or circumstances.
For more information contact David Burns, davidb@collectiveleisure.com.au