The Strong Life Mentoring Program is the brainchild of our Lead Mentor (and CrossFit Confront Owner), Jason Erbacher.
For years, Jason had been helping children and teens through one-on-one mentoring, kids and teens CrossFit classes and overnight resilience and team-building camping trips, but it wasn’t the enough! Jason ended up with a waitlist, there are only so many hours in the day.
After noticing a gap in services for children and teens who are self and plan managed NDIS or non-funded, the idea of group mentoring sessions surfaced. Research ensued with many articles showcasing the benefits of exercise aren’t just physical but also can include improved quality of life, support long term health, and increased success in activities of daily living.
So, in early 2019, with an idea (and a plan), The Strong Life Mentoring Program was born.
Open to individuals between the age of 13-21 years old, the program focuses on:
Jason is the owner of CrossFit Confront and the Lead Mentor for The Strong Life Mentoring Program.
A current serving member of the Australian Army, Jason has served for eighteen years, achieving rank of Sergeant in 2022. When speaking of his time in the Army, Jason highlights how important an environment of growth and stimulus has been for his development and hopes to use this approach as the basis for the Strong Life Mentoring Program.
With a passion for helping others through fitness, Jason has a Certificate 4 Fitness (Personal Training), is a Level 2 CrossFit Trainer and has undertaken a range of specialist CrossFit training including mobility, gymnastics, weightlifting and CrossFit Kids.
Over the years, Jason has worked with children and teens through a range of mentoring opportunities, including one-on-one mentoring, kids and teens CrossFit classes and overnight resilience and team-building camping trips. These programs have allowed him to hone his leadership and communication skills with this unique age group and of course along the way he has obtained a Blue Card (Working with Children) and his Advance First Aid and CPR qualifications.
By providing a group format for classes, it has allowed Jason to help more kids and teens realise their strengths, breakthrough barriers, and push towards a brighter future, in whatever endeavours they pursue.
Peggy is a Coach at CrossFit Confront and a Mentor for The Strong Life Mentoring Program.
She has a Masters in Fine Arts, Certificate 4 in Fitness (Personal Training) and is a Level 1 CrossFit Coach. Peggy has a Blue Card (Working with Children), CrossFit Kids coaching certificate and her Advance First Aid and CPR qualifications.
Passionate about movement, Peggy has taught and performed at a professional level in the performing arts industry across the USA, transitioning to dance teacher and gymnastics teacher when moving to Australia.
With 20-years lived experience with disability and neurodiversity, Peggy has raised 6 children, 1 of which has complex needs. This experience gives her a unique understanding of the complexities of children and young adults. Peggy’s focus is squarely on understanding the emotional, relational and/or mental health of each Strong Life participant and mentoring them to reach their potential through their integral relationship with fitness.
When asked why she loves being a coach, Peggy replied “ I get to help others become the best version of themselves they can be”
If you are a parent and/or caregiver for someone you think may benefit from The Strong Life Mentoring Program, fill in the form below and we will book you in for a free consultation with one of our mentors.
This session is designed specifically for the child or teen who may be entering The Strong Life Program.
The Mentor with the child or teen discusses their physical activity level, any health issues or concerns that may need to be addressed, and any safety protocols that should be implemented.
This session is important to ensure the safety and well-being of the new member and to ensure that they are physically and emotionally prepared to participate in the activities. The Mentor will also take the time to get to know them, their strengths and weaknesses, and their goals for the mentoring session.
This screening session allows the coach to create an individualised plan for the new member and provide them with the best possible mentoring experience.
Please note that parents and/or caregivers are encouraged to stay for this session.
Once the child or teen’s consultation is complete, they are invited to attend two free introductory sessions.
These sessions allow the newest member of our program to meet the group, try out the classes, and meet our mentors.
Once the child or teen has completed the 2-introductory sessions, our Mentors will speak with the parents and/or caregivers to recommend suitability for the program or discuss one-on-one mentoring for a little while.
We often use one-on-one mentoring if a child or teen isn’t quite ready for group sessions. Through one-on-one mentoring we help build their confidence, with the goal to have them join the group when they are ready.
On joining the program, a fee of once-off fee of $150 is payable.
This one-off fee covers all of the equipment and apparel required to get set up and be successful within the program. Including:
Our Strong Life Mentoring Sessions run on Monday and Wednesday and are capped at 10 group members per session with 2 mentors present.
The sessions are structured and focus on fitness and mentoring. A typical session includes:
As our sessions are focussed on building participant independence, they are closed from parents and/or caregivers (unless there is a defined need of course).
This means our mentors will be the initial ones to notice improvements, that doesn’t mean we don’t want to share it with you. Each month you will receive a personalised progress report card showing the participants progress against a range of criteria. We also use this as a check-in to hear two-way feedback about the participant and the program.
Weekly memberships are $80, there are no lock in contracts and can be billed under 3 common NDIS codes, meaning no out-of-pocket expense for eligible participants. We provide weekly billing and on request, can provide official reporting for NDIS.
Jason Erbacher than with any other “health” professional he has seen.
Jason genuinely cares for the people he works with and goes the extra mile to get to know them and how he can assist them in reaching their goals.
Karen Iliffe
I so highly recommend Jason as a mentor. Jason is one of those folks you don’t meet every day. A really genuine person with a strong focus on supporting others and a unique skillset to support this work.
Jason offers life skills mentoring that build the body and mind. My child has known Jason for many years and jumps at any chance to be around him because: “he really believes in me and inspires me to believe in myself.” We are very grateful for his mentoring. It has been life changing.
Katrena Dunne
Jason is an exceptionally committed individual with a demonstrated background of achievement, including working with a range of abilities and ages. He adopts a continuous improvement model and is highly competent working with diverse needs youth.
Overall, the key difference of his approach as compared to other programs or supports, is that he enables the young person to lead while dispensing with any limitations to their achievements. This program is recommended without hesitation. In my opinion, it is the best you will find for building on core life skills and developing courage and resilience. ‘
Anneka McKay
