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Students As LifeStyle Activists (SALSA) is a peer-led leadership program designed to motivate students to increase physical activity and improve diet. Empower your students to become leaders and make better choices for their health. SALSA improves student communication and leadership skills, preparing them for the future.

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Inspires Student Leadership

It starts when we train university students to be SALSA Educators:

Step 1 SALSA Educators (university students) will train volunteer Year 10 students as SALSA Peer Leaders during a one-day workshop held at schools.
The peer leaders will learn how to empower their younger peers about eating healthier foods and being physically active.

Step 2 SALSA Peer Leaders in teams of four will deliver 4 × 60 min lessons (or equivalent) to Year 8 students using a video, games and activities. The four lessons are: Simple Changes, Movement Matters, Food Choices and SALSA Actions.

Step 3 All students are encouraged to create an individual SMART goal and design a School Action Plan.

Student Agency

By participating in the SALSA program, students make simple changes to eat more fruit and vegetables and be more physically active. Students set their own goals and team-based school action plans.

Empower Your Students

By participating in the SALSA program, students make simple changes to eat more fruit and vegetables and be more physically active. Students set their own personal goals and team-based school action plans to create a supportive school environment for healthy food choices and physical activity.

Benefits For Your School

The program takes an innovative approach, where students drive both the teaching and learning process.

Year 10 students have the opportunity to apply leadership skills to increase student’s physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and a decrease in the consumption of sugary drinks. Each year schools receive a summary report of the benefits of participating in the SALSA program.

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Years Running

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Year 10 Students Impacted

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decrease in sugary drinks/day

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Year 8 Students Participated

Principals, teachers and participants have a lot to say about SALSA

“The partnership and the relationship between SALSA and the Giants is very important. Students have that frame of mind where it’s not just about me, it’s about how can I benefit the community and work with everyone around me.”
GWS Giants
GWS Giants
“SALSA gives students the opportunity to voice their opinion to actually take on what they are learning and be confident enough to express their views and the knowledge gained through the program, to other students.”
Samir Abdelkrimi
Samir AbdelkrimiSALSA Co-ordinator, Colyton High School
“After so many years, we see the need and inherent value of the SALSA program throughout the school. In a school where 25% of the students live in homes of considerable poverty and 200 of the 1125 students have health plans for chronic poor health, a health strategy of this kind is a powerful opportunity to change health and life outcomes for those students, for all students”
Christine Cawsey AM
Christine Cawsey AMPrincipal Rooty Hill High School
"SALSA has given peer leaders interpersonal skills to work in different groups, and strengthened the value to live healthy lifestyles. The program is a positive avenue for students to learn through creativity and practice."
Bernadette Corpuz
Bernadette CorpuzTeacher, Rooty Hill High School
"The SALSA program has helped open channels of communication between younger and older students, as well as between students and teachers on not only health topics covered in this course, but also a much broader range of areas across all dimensions of health."
Head PDHPE Teacher
Head PDHPE TeacherNepean High School
"I think it’s a very neat model where you’re not just saying to students sit back and listen, and I’ll tell you all about it. We’re saying this is for you to be active - active in your learning, active in managing your lifestyle … but also active in giving the message more broadly to family and friends."
Emeritus Professor, Stephen Leeder
Emeritus Professor, Stephen LeederDirector Research Education Network, WSLHD
"Seeing disadvantaged areas of Sydney that I wouldn’t be exposed to during my studies has been really beneficial for my career, and it’s been a real privilege to be involved in the SALSA Program.“
Christina Roger
Christina RogerUni Student, University Of Sydney
“At a time when western Sydney is experiencing a diabetes epidemic, the SALSA program‘s ability to contact so many young lives and reach into families couldn’t be more significant. Simply telling someone to do something rarely leads to sustained change”.
Dr Kean-Seng Lim
Dr Kean-Seng LimGP Mt Druitt and Past-President NSW AMA
"I’m 13 years old. I’ve done the SALSA Program at school. I really enjoyed playing soccer and basketball with the Year 10 mentors, and it made me want to be active.“
Joeline
JoelineYear 8 Student, Chifley College Mt Druitt
“The SALSA Program is important because it teaches students leadership skills as it allows them to learn how to teach and allows them to experience and learn more about health through actually teaching, which is a good way to learn.”
Matthew
MatthewYear 10 Student, Model Farms High School
"I’ve found being involved in the SALSA Program this year has increased my self confidence and motivated me to act as a role model and lead by example in attempting to influence younger students’ lifestyle habits."
Christina Roger
Christina RogerUni Student, University Of Sydney
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Contact us to learn more about our empowerment programs that give students a voice to create supportive environments in their school community.

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“Our vision is to enable young people to make positive changes in their own lives, and the voice to make an impact on their peers and the school community.”

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