Hundreds gathered at EPIC Canberra for Kulture Break’s 24-Hour Movement Challenge, smashing last year’s record by more than 100 per cent. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
Just shy of 300 people took part in Kulture Break’s 24-Hour Movement Challenge last week – an epic surge from 120 in its inaugural year.
Kulture Break founder and CEO Francis Owusu said the more than 100 per cent increase in participation rate felt like confirmation that the ACT community was invested in better mental health for its youth and that the event concept was an effective way to raise awareness.
“Shared suffering brings people together. It builds stronger teams and makes us more resilient,” he said.
“When you think about it, that’s the reason we created this event in the first place.”
He pointed out that every 24 hours a young person takes their life – hence the 24-hour challenge.
“We wanted to highlight the significance of that number – 24. Ultimately, we want to interrupt this cycle with more of our during and after-school early intervention programs,” he said.
This year the event raised over $100,000 towards this goal.
Kulture Break is a not-for-profit social enterprise mental health and wellbeing community service provider committed to the transformation and empowerment of children and youth.
Their school programs focus on wellbeing and inclusion and build individual confidence, identity and belonging at a time when many mental health issues take hold – school age.
The 24-Hour Challenge sees corporate teams from around Canberra – and some particularly hardcore individuals – undertake 24 hours of guided movement, including walking, strength exercise, machine movements, team games and, of course, dance.
Last year, four people took the challenge on solo. This year, it was 12. Francis was among them both years and said, ironically, that the greatest battles were mental.
“The event started on Friday at 6 am and finished Saturday at 6 am. The hardest shift was the graveyard shift – 12 am to 6 am and the toughest in that period was 2 am when we had to do machine movement,” he said.
“It included rowing and then going into burpees. When you’re that exhausted, knowing you were close to the finish but had this immense effort ahead of you was mentally challenging.
“As we approached midnight, we knew it was coming and one of my team members started to have some doubts. He told me he got re-energised by listening and talking to other team members. That’s how he got his mindset corrected and got through it. I think that’s powerful.”
Francis said Kulture Break was overwhelmed by the solidarity shown during the event.
“I’m still very sore, but it was entirely worth it to see the community come together like that,” he said.
“It was incredible – the atmosphere, the energy and the support from the Canberra community was sensational.”
This year, 44 children from Kaleen Primary School were involved in the event for the first time using a buddy system.
Francis said it was not only about participants’ mental health but also about empathy, connection and awareness.
“It was a good opportunity for these young people to watch the other young people they were supporting,” he said.
“It’s a chance to cross-pollinate the message, and it was this amazing visual representation of what we should all strive to do.”
Team motivation played a vital role in individual successes during this challenge – a poignant message for life. Photo: Thomas Lucraft.
It’s just the beginning of the 24-Hour Movement Challenge’s expansion, with plans to create a school-age appropriate iteration of the challenge for roll out into more schools in Canberra and beyond.
“We started this movement in Canberra, but our long-term vision is to have our programs available in schools across the nation,” Francis said.
“We want every student to have the same access and opportunities to build resilience through movement programs.”
Though the 24-Hour Movement Challenge has now concluded, you can still help Kulture Break make a difference in young people’s lives by donating. Kulture Break is seeking to raise an additional $24,000 to provide another 40 young people with a year of support. For more information, visit Kulture Break.
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