DISADVANTAGED young people in Cairns now have an opportunity to get fit and learn about their nutrition and health at no cost.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul officially opened a new youth gym in the Cairns suburb of Parramatta Park on Friday, April 27.
Bishop of Cairns James Foley blessed the facility and the society’s state president Tim O’Connor of Brisbane spoke on its behalf about the new gym, a non-profit special works project.
The gym is equipped with $150,000 worth of fitness facilities, all generously donated by a member of the local community.
The equipment includes a full size boxing ring with speed balls, kicking and punching bags.
There are free weights, machine weights and a dojo hall with special matting especially designed for martial arts training.
Donna Baker of Cairns is the instructor and organiser of the gym.
She is a youth worker and has had experience with nutritional guidance, self-esteem courses, health and wellbeing programs and young people with drug-related problems.
There is also an anger management program on offer.
“We plan to use general fitness training and the equipment, like the free weights, to teach kids to control their anger,” said Donna.
She will target her work at young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.
“I can teach them about nutrition and how to do one-pot cooking, teach them basic diet guidelines and how to make the most of the food they’ve got,” she said.
“I also do a harm minimisation program for kids who are taking amphetamines. I can teach them what to eat, like special kinds of fruit and vegetables that help them feel like they want to get off the drug.”
But Donna was adamant that she wasn’t handing out medical advice.
Mr O’Connor said the gym would help address the growing concern about drugs in society and drugs in sport.
“The youth gym will give kids a chance to stay away from the drug culture they face daily and in addition will provide positive information about the issue of drugs in sport,” he said.
“Our aim is to give these kids a hand up, not a hand out,” said Mr O’Connor.
Various agencies in Cairns will be involved with the gym and will refer kids to it for free use of the equipment.
Training started on Monday May 7 and Donna works at the gym fulltime.
The gym is free for disadvantaged kids targeted by Cairns welfare agencies and a fee of $5 is charged to all other young people who want to train.
“In a way I’ll also be the fitness police and make sure that the average fitness fanatic isn’t coming in and intimidating the kids,” Donna said.
The gym will also be kept financially viable by letting the dojo hall out for hire.
“We’ve already had several interested groups wanting to hire the hall for their private classes,” Donna said.
