Empowering Farming Communities

If you’re passionate about health and fitness and have what it takes to help your community stay fit, strong and connected then we want to hear from you!

Ten rural communities across Australia are set to benefit from an annual scholarship program designed to promote health, wellbeing and connection through group fitness.

Developed by Agricultural machinery stalwart Hutcheon & Pearce in partnership with Active Farmers and FIT College in 2021, the EMPOWERED Scholarship program is this year offering a further four scholarships thanks to additional support from Grampians Health and AgXtra. This means 10 deserving recipients will complete their Certificate III and Certificate IV in Personal Training and go on to work with Active Farmers for a minimum of two years in their local communities.

Active Farmers is a grass roots organisation that brings farming communities together to counter alarming mental health statistics in the regions through group fitness in a fun, supportive environment. CEO Justin Sampson leads a team of 47 qualified personal trainers in 55 small farming communities across the country, reaching some 1500 participants each month, and says the demand for this kind of community support continues to grow.

“One of our biggest challenges is finding trainers in isolated rural communities, so we’re very grateful to Hutcheon & Pearce for creating the EMPOWERED Scholarship program to help rural people access personal training education so they can start their own business and make a difference in their communities.

“These scholarships will really empower the 10 trainers by giving them the qualification and experience they need to go on and use that for the greater good of their communities. And if we can put more local people through this program every year, it means there's so many more communities we'll be able to help, which is really exciting.”

Hutcheon & Pearce Managing Director Arron Hutcheon says the partnership with Active Farmers is the perfect fit.

“We absolutely love the opportunity to work with Justin and the team and be part of this scholarship program. Active Farmers is a fantastic organisation with a strong purpose, and we feel closely aligned in values. We rely on the same rural and regional communities and feel the same responsibility to take care of those communities – not only because they are our customers but also because we employ from those communities and we live in them, too. We know that we are nothing without our farming communities and we are happy to be able to contribute to their health and wellbeing in this way.

“It’s our hope that this partnership creates positive momentum: We empower Active Farmers to grow and spread further into farming communities, in turn empowering these motivated individuals to grow and spread that empowerment within their communities. And if it can help just one person with their mental health and wellbeing, to have a positive impact on those alarming statistics, then it will be a win.”

Timed with the start of the Henty Machinery Field Days, applications for the EMPOWERED Scholarship program officially open on Tuesday 20 September and close at 5pm AEDST on Friday 18 November. Winners will be announced by Christmas with a view to starting training in February 2023.

To enter, applicants must submit a video explaining how an Empowered scholarship would empower them and their community. For those looking to apply, Justin offers some words of advice.

“We’re looking for people who are passionate about fitness but even more passionate about their community and contributing to its wellness and resilience. Applying is not so much about making a video that's professional looking. It's the content of the video that's important. We're not expecting applicants to go and get a film crew. What's going to stand out is the trainer's passion for their community, and then how much their community genuinely needs and wants Active Farmers.

“So don't be shy or embarrassed – don’t let that hold you back. Just make sure you put your hat in the ring and focus on how it will help many others in your community. And if you know someone who would make the perfect personal trainer for their regional community, let them know!”

If you’re ready to get fit and empower your community, learn more and apply at www.hutcheonandpearce.com.au/empowered