What is Join In Join Up!
Join In, Join Up! is an initiative of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Our Community, and is proudly supported by the Telstra Foundation and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Our goal is to get the message out to as many people as possible that joining a community organisation can have huge benefits for your health and well-being - as study after study has shown.
Join In, Join Up! includes a listing of thousands of Australian community groups, collected in 21 themed directories.
Anyone can visit the Join In, Join Up! webpages and find a group in their local or interest area.
In addition, pharmacists and pharmåacy assistants have joined the campaign to help people 'get connected' with a great community group, acting as a link between the public and the community organisations listed in the directories.
Join In, Join Up! also includes nine specific listings for groups who may have the most to gain by joining in and joining up. These listings provide a starting point for those keen to take a more active role in community life.
The Launch
| Join In Join Up! - the national initiative linking Australians with their community via 5,000 local pharmacies and Australia's largest online directory of community groups - was officially launched on November 13.
Our Community CEO Rhonda Galbally AO joined Telstra Foundation national manager Maria Simpson and Kos Sclavos - national president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia - to launch Join In Join Up! at the Terry White Chemists Pharmacy in Sydney's Chatswood Chase Shopping Centre. Stuart Nankivell, pharmacist at Terry White Chemists Chatswood Chase, was also on hand at the launch. Our Community CEO Dr Rhonda Galbally AO said the program's launch was a "landmark moment". "Joining a community group is the best way I know to feel a connection to your community, and it's good for your physical and mental health as well," she said. Join In Join Up! will see the Pharmacy Guild of Australia's 5,000 member pharmacies actively promoting the benefits of joining a community group. Mr Sclavos said their involvement was a natural extension of pharmacies' work to promote a healthy lifestyle. "People who plunge wholeheartedly into the life of the community get back more than they put in," he said. "Our pharmacists and pharmacy assistants know Australians trust us to provide the best advice - well part of that advice is that joining a community group is good for you. Now, connecting with a new group is only a mouse-click away." The project has been made possible through the generosity of Telstra's philanthropic fund, the Telstra Foundation. Telstra has also engaged its national team of Telstra Country Wide Area General Managers to deliver the Join In, Join Up! message across the country. "The Telstra Foundation is pleased to support the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and Our Community to connect people and communities all over Australia, helping people to reap the benefits of being actively involved in their local community," said Ms Simpson. "We hope that everyone will take the opportunity to find out what's available in their area and join up." A new Join In, Join Up! brochure is now available at pharmacy counters. It contains advice on how people can get involved in their community and, in doing so, reap the health and wellbeing rewards. The site you are currently visiting - www.ourcommunity.com.au/joinin - acts as a hub for the initiative, listing details of more than 55,000 community groups across Australia and making it easier than ever to locate a community group by location and area of interest. There is something for everyone among groups at the site, with the 55,000 community group listings include scouting to sailing, men's sheds to men's a cappella choirs, chambers of commerce to community radio stations, surf clubs to amateur dramatics. More information on Join In Join Up is available in this media release. |
From left: Stuart Nankivell (Pharmacist at Terry White Chemists, Chatswood Chase), Maria Simpson (Telstra Foundation), Rhonda Galbally AO (Our Community) and Kos Sclavos (Pharmacy Guild of Australia) launch the Join In Join Up! program
Rhonda Galbally speaking at the Join In, Join Up! Launch |
Blog - Make your comment on Live longer. Let your community group show you how
Have your say on Join In Join Up! by leaving a comment at Rhonda Galbally's blog entry on the initiative.
The blog discusses the program as well as looking at some of the underlying scientific research which has found that joining a community group can significantly improve people's wellbeing, and reduce the chance of ill-health.
For further information, call us on (03) 9320 6800, or email service@ourcommunity.com.au.