Strong Women

Faced with societal problems like domestic violence and eating disorders, women can feel powerless and have trouble finding their strength.

– 1 in 4 Australian women have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or emotional abuse by a current or former partner’ (Our Watch)
– 1 in 6 women in Australia will experience depression and 1 in 3 women will experience anxiety during their lifetime (Beyond Blue)
– Women also experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and eating disorders at higher rates than men (Beyond Blue)

Even though 2 out of 5 women are holding themselves back from playing sports because they feel embarrassed or intimidated (VicHealth), the sport of Strongman has more female competitors than men. Since 2015 and the number of women competing in Australia has increased by 500%. These strong women are finding their inner strength in this empowering community and their journeys could inspire other women currently struggling.

Through personal accounts, we seek to explore the impact of sport and physical activities on women’s mental health and empowerment with:
– female heroine role models in all shapes and sizes
– by shattering stereotypes and challenging women’s view on their bodies
– the benefits of strengthening your mind through exercise

It will be screened within communities alongside a toolkit and will serve as a catalyst for discussion on how to enable more women to feel empowered and their legacy.

Empower women by encouraging them to:
– take part in physical activities
– learn how sport can help them build up their confidence, self-worth and mental health
– see their body for what it can achieve rather than what it looks like or a number on the scale
– find a supportive community where they can heal and encourage each other

Alleviate stigmas by:
– activating urgency on women’s mental health discussion
– sharing personal stories of overcoming challenges and mental health issues to demystify preconceptions
– demonstrating scientific research on the body and the mind

Film grants:
– Screen Australia
– ABC Fresh Start Fund recipient for ABC Iview

Community support:
– female athletes and top male athletes across Australia
– competition organiser of The Arnold’s Sports League in Australia & in the US, which recently started organising Pro Women Competitions.

Organisations:
– Change Our Game, a Victorian government initiative. With our aligning goals to encourage more women to participate in sports like Strongman and challenge their traditional ways of thinking about their bodies to embrace their strength, we will be partnering on a few initiatives for our impact campaign. In particular, their knowledge and expertise will be ideal for creating tool kits, ensuring our messaging is consistent with current standards from health and wellbeing organizations.

Magazine:
– Strong Fitness Magazine Australia to create content enabling us to engage with a significantly large and established audience through their channels.

1 – Feel empowered and changed mental health mindset
2 – Spread awareness about the healing power of sport for women’s mental and physical health
3 – Show support through social media and promote the series
4 – Host a screening
5 – Download the Strong Women tool kits