The Health Promotion team welcomed Gina and Milla from Monash University for their 13 week Health Promotion Placement. The students were tasked with helping our team to increase awareness of enjoyable, free and local walking routes in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula. When a walk was being explored, the students looked at the accessibility of paths, noted facilities and videoed the walk. The walking information was then uploaded to Walking Maps and the videos turned into Instagram reels.
Here’s how they found their placement experience:
What was your favourite thing about the placement?
Gina: “I enjoyed doing the walks because it gave me time to be active but still contribute meaningful work. I liked the freedom of getting to choose where and when we completed the walk and especially enjoyed encountering lots of dogs on many of the tracks.”
Milla: “My favourite thing about my placement was being able to gain some practical experience in the workplace. It was a great opportunity to expand my professional skills and connect with people who share similar interests to myself, in regard to health and community.”
What was a key learning from your placement?
Gina: “One of the key learnings I will take from placement is how creative I can be when working in the health promotion field. I realised this as I enjoyed writing embellished descriptions for the walking maps and engaging captions for the Instagram reels.”
Milla: “A key learning from my placement was in relation to how to professionally communicate at a standard that is appropriate in the workplace. I had to learn how to properly structure my emails and the importance of quick and substantial replies.”
Which walk did you enjoy the most?
Gina: “I enjoyed the last walk the most which was in Hastings Foreshore Recreational Walking Track. It was an easy, flat trail with beautiful scenery of the ocean. Not only was the trail itself well maintained and scenic but there were numerous facilities around the area such as futuristic playgrounds, exercise equipment and table tennis set ups.”
Milla: “My favourite walk we completed was definitely the Kookaburra Bush Circuit! It was one of our more challenging walks, as some of the path was rocky and had multiple inclines. It was also visually pleasing, with the sparkling reservoir and lush greenery.”
Check out the walks: