The University of South Australia’s (UniSA) WAVES Program harnesses the power of exercise and sport to inspire recovery and wellbeing.
Current and former military and emergency service personnel who have physical, emotional and/or psychological conditions can access this program to assist participants with their physical, mental and psychosocial wellbeing goals and includes activities that welcomes family members.
The Wellbeing for Australian Veterans and Emergency Services (WAVES) Program is jointly funded by Military and Emergency Services Health Australia (MESHA), parent charity The Hospital Research Foundation Group and UniSA.
Formerly the Invictus Pathways Program, it was offered to military members only before expanding to include emergency service personnel in 2019 and in 2024, the program was renamed WAVES to better reflect its overall goals and components.
WAVES combines structured physical activity and goal setting with a comprehensive approach to an individual’s recovery; while also using a unique student-delivered style.
The two programs offered within WAVES include the Invictus Pathways Program, which involves 1:1 training with students in the gym, and the Community Adaptive Sports Program (CASP) which offers participants the opportunity to engage in different activities within the community. Some CASP activities are also open to family members.
This global-first program provides participants access to a range of wellbeing activities in the community as well as allied health services, including:
- Baseline physiological testing and profiling
- Training in state-of-the-art facilities
- Support programs
- The expertise of UniSA’s leading health professionals and students.
What originally began as a program to help veterans train to reach the Invictus Games, has expanded to a wellbeing program that encourages service personnel to use sport for their physical and emotional recovery.
To find out more about WAVES, contact [email protected]