By Amber Ammouche
Randomly, my best friend showed me an ad in The Westsider for Daughters of the West. Having no idea what it was I did a quick google.
Daughters of the West is a free 10-week women’s health and wellbeing program run by the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation in partnership with local councils and health services. Each week combines a 45-minute health education session with 45 minutes of physical activity, tailored to people’s needs and abilities. The program is open to women and those who identify as female, over the age of 18. Registration is done online, with 12 sites across Melbourne’s west, Ballarat, and an online stream to choose from.
At first, I was hesitant as my fitness levels and knowledge are limited. I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in a room full of strangers. Does anybody? However, I did want to prioritise my health, push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new. It takes me a while to warm up to new spaces but within one session the ladies and I were giggling together!
The goal of the program is to support women to prioritise their health in a safe, welcoming, and fun space. For some participants that means learning more about important health topics, for others it’s getting active again, and for many it’s about building social connections. Ideally women will leave the program with greater confidence, knowledge, and friendships that extend beyond the ten weeks.
I’m glad I took a chance on this program. It has such a warm, open and inviting atmosphere to it and everyone is just lovely! Within the first session it was stated ‘not to feel embarrassed’ and each week I felt that sensation fade away. It honestly opened my eyes to topics like nutrition, mental health, disability awareness and so on.
It was great that the fitness groups were split into high and low intensity groups, having something for everyone so individuals push themselves to meet their goals. Each week I would walk in eager to learn about different topics to strengthen my knowledge. Opening the floor to questions and discussions with one another, we were able to see and understand different points of view, which I looked forward to!
When beginning this program, I had this silly idea that I was going under a 10-week fantastic transformation. For some that may be possible but for me, I was naive. I lowered my expectations and just aimed to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. I can proudly say I’ve completed this program with an increase in both confidence and knowledge!
It’s inspiring to have different generations of women working together. Older women could pass down their knowledge and wisdom to us ‘youngens.’ I was one of the youngest in the group at Brimbank and week after week I was amazed by the commitment of these women, both in person and online, to take time out of their busy lives to express their feelings, frustrations, catch up on our weekly chats, ask questions we never get the chance to, and JUST HAVE FUN!
The program has been running since 2017 after the success of the Sons of the West program. It runs once a year between July and September so keep your eyes peeled for next year’s call out! This is a great opportunity if you’re looking for something local and wanting to learn about new things, set yourself some goals, meet like-minded people and most importantly have fun while keeping fit!
A big thank you to the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, Brimbank facilitator Myloan Huynh, Naomi Fitzgerald, WorkSafe Victoria, Cohealth and all the fantastic people behind the scenes of the Daughters of the West program.
