I have been an avid volunteer ever since I arrived in Australia as a teenage refugee in 1993.

In addition to health promotion for newly arrived refugees and migrants and for torture and trauma survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder, I have volunteered with Primary Ethics, the APA New South Wales Branch Council, Little Athletics and various soccer, basketball and dance groups my children have been involved in over the years.

As a volunteer physiotherapist, I took on a new initiative.

Rather than helping people in a conventional, service-providing way, I wanted to build a different community.

I applied as an individual applicant for a Doing It Differently grant—an initiative for local community projects set up by the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District in partnership with Georges River Council (my local council) and Calvary Health Care Kogarah, Sutherland Shire Council and Bayside Council.

The $7610 grant enabled me to organise a range of social events and to print and distribute pamphlets, leaflets and posters advertising them; to install community libraries and community gardens; and to source equipment for exercise, yoga, meditation and walking groups.

The Bibby Street Neighbourhood Project was a health-oriented, community-building endeavour based on interaction, inclusion and mutual support.

When the COVID-19 Sydney lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 eliminated social gatherings, I used online content to maintain interaction, to distribute information and New South Wales health advice, and to offer assistance and support for the sick, the frail and those living alone.

Our Facebook group provided me with a platform for promoting physical activity in lockdown.

Equipment purchased for the exercise and yoga groups—including mats, resistance bands, free weights and yoga blocks and straps—was offered and distributed to community members for regular use at home to encourage daily participation in physical exercise during the pandemic.

We exchanged video suggestions for various exercises and posted fun photos of ourselves exercising with family members and pets.

I felt that the older adults needed particular attention and care during this challenging period, so I distributed ‘kindness leaflets’ to residents with my contact details, encouraging them to reach out if they needed any kind of assistance in lockdown.

Contact-free events were organised for children and older adults, such as an Easter egg hunt, an Anzac Day dawn service in driveways, the creation of a local community cookbook and a children’s art display.

On our Facebook group, I regularly shared advice from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the World Health Organization and NSW Health about the importance of physical activity during the pandemic.

The effects of this program have been multidimensional because the activities organised combined the benefits of social interaction and physical activity.

Participants reported that they were happy to be included, felt more connected and were willing to continue exercising.

The main success of the Bibby Street Neighbourhood Project was its ability to foster a sense of community, security and belonging, especially during periods of physical distancing and social isolation, through a range of intergenerational volunteering activities that contributed to better physical and mental health and an increase in general wellbeing.

I am passionate about volunteering as a physiotherapist to promote good health and enjoyed the opportunity to utilise the skills of other community members to achieve health and social wellbeing goals through asset-based community development principles.

The health benefits of volunteering, for both the volunteer and the service recipient, are well documented in the literature.

Studies show that volunteering reduces mortality and improves self-rated health, social support, interaction, healthy behaviours and coping ability in volunteers.

Similarly, in recipients, volunteering improves self-esteem, disease management, mental health, cognitive function, self-efficacy and survival time.

Social interaction through volunteering reduces loneliness, which is associated with cardiovascular disease, obesity, dementia, depression, anxiety, a multitude of psychological disorders and premature death.

Evidence also suggests that physical activity in later life may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of age-related functional impairment.

Social capital through volunteering has the potential to play an important role in increasing older adults’ physical activity and general health.

This project demonstrates a cost-effective and sustainable way to promote healthy ageing, regular physical activity and intergenerational interaction.

It incorporated networking and interdependence with other local projects, such as the Australian Men’s Shed Association, the Bayside Garden Centre (a joint venture between the Intellectual Disability Foundation of St George and Bayside Council), Kogarah Community Services, Street Library Australia and local schools.

One hundred participants were recorded in the first year of the project. Twenty members regularly attended at least 50 per cent of events, while the project indirectly influenced at least 65 non-members.

The Bibby Street Neighbourhood Project was presented at the 9th International Society for Physical Activity and Health Congress in Abu Dhabi in October 2022.

It has inspired me to study the role of volunteering by healthcare professionals (particularly physiotherapists) in the development of initiatives promoting health and physical activity to various groups and to the general public.

Community feedback in response to the Bibby Street Neighbourhood Project

‘I can certainly help with donating some books.’

‘Well done! I’m happy to help out where I can. ’

‘Thank you for organising today, Ima, and thanks for the great sausages... Not long now until Christmas!’

‘I would like to say that having this community group has been a great experience for me personally. I enjoy seeing the posts and photos about events and the happy reactions of those attending. Especially during the COVID situation where it would be easy for people to feel isolated, this [Facebook] page is always there with a word of friendliness and support. The street libraries have especially been a HUGE success and brought pleasure and entertainment to many for whom getting to a library might be difficult. I am very excited about the new gardening project that is about to start, bringing the community together in growing veggies and flowers for all to enjoy! An extra special thank you to Ima and her fellow admins for coordinating everything. I know it is a time-consuming and challenging process getting all of these events and resources organised and put in place. Your efforts are hugely appreciated by more than you know!'

>> Ima Strkljevic APAM is a physiotherapist working in private practice in Sydney and a PhD candidate at the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the University of Sydney and the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health.