About Challenge to Change
Challenge to Change (previously called the Knockout Health Challenge) is a 10-week, community-led health program for Aboriginal communities across NSW. It brings Mob together to get active, eat well and make healthy changes in their own ways.
Each year, teams apply for $5,000 in funding to run their local program. Applications usually open in May, with teams able to run their 10-week program between July and November.
Teams shape their own program — from bootcamps and cooking classes to yarn ups and getting out on Country. It's all about supporting each other to live healthy, be strong and stay connected.
Challenge to Change is culturally safe and flexible, giving communities full ownership over how they run their program. It's a welcoming space for anyone wanting to start or continue their health journey, with support from people you know and trust.
Teams will be linked with local services, online planning tools and free resources to help keep the healthy changes going long after the 10 weeks are done.
Our story
Since 2012, thousands of people from hundreds of teams have joined our 10-week health programs. Over the years, it's grown and evolved through strong community input.
In 2023, we gave the program a big refresh, shaped by what we heard from community. After listening to feedback from teams and participants, we made some important changes:
- Moving away from weight loss as the main focus and taking a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing
- Opening it up to all ages
- Giving teams more flexibility to do what works for them
- Boosting the funding from $2,000 to $5,000 per team
These changes make the program more inclusive, more flexible and more in tune with what communities want to focus on.
And we've seen the difference it's making. Teams have told us they're enjoying being more active, feeling better mentally, connecting with others more, lowering their blood pressure and gaining a deeper understanding of what health means.
In 2024, we asked the community to help shape our program identity to better reflect where we're heading. A new name, Challenge to Change, was chosen through a statewide vote in 2025. It came from community and captures the heart of the program: challenging ourselves and our Mob to make healthy changes that last.
Challenge to Change is still growing, and we're proud to continue to have it led by Aboriginal voices. It's not just about physical health — it's about feeling good in mind, body, spirit and community.
Stronger Together, 2025
NSW Health commissioned Dennis Golding to create an artwork and visual identity for the Challenge to Change program.
Stronger Together is inspired by Country, specifically highlighting how the roots of a tree can forge pathways through Country linking with other root systems to create a strong foundation of Country.
The artwork portrays strong root systems growing beneath the surface, symbolising the deep connection between the growth of trees and the enduring cultural traditions and practices of Aboriginal people.
The linear patterns of tree roots mirror the topographical pathways forged by Aboriginal people long before colonisation. The artwork is also inspired by our community, leaders, and the gatherings and support systems that nurture care and create spaces for sharing knowledge and stories.
The artwork centres on strengthening connections to Country and promoting better health outcomes for Aboriginal people today. It celebrates Aboriginal culture and acknowledges the importance of preserving and sharing cultural knowledge to inspire and empower future generations.
The visual identity was developed as a secondary artwork based on Stronger Together. The visual identity encompasses core components of the program, highlighting gathering spaces, community connections, participants, team leaders, support organisations, and cultural practices.
The artist
Dennis Golding is a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist from Northwest NSW, born and raised on Gadigal land (Redfern, Sydney), with ancestral ties to Biripi country along the mid-north coast of NSW through his mother's lineage.
Working across mixed media—including painting, video, photography, and installation—Golding critically explores social, political, and cultural representations of race and identity, drawing from his urban upbringing and childhood memories.
Growing up in an Aboriginal community in Redfern, often referred to as 'The Block,' Golding was immersed in art from a young age, watching his mother and grandmother create works featuring native plants, animals, cultural motifs, and human figures. He honed his professional practice through mentorships with leading curators, educators, and artists, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from UNSW Art & Design in 2019. He now works independently as an artist and curator.
Since graduating, Golding has been awarded the Create NSW Visual Arts Fellowship (2020) and has exhibited at major institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney Living Museums, and Carriageworks. His work is also visible in numerous public art installations throughout Sydney. Additionally, he co-founded the Re-Right Collective with Carmen Glynn-Braun.
Through his artistic and curatorial practice, Golding aims to present powerful representations of contemporary Aboriginal cultural identity that convey narratives of history and lived experience.
Artist acknowledgement
I acknowledge my Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay heritage and upbringing on Gadigal land, which shape my artistic practice, and I honour the strength and contributions of the Indigenous communities involved in delivering the Challenge to Change program and the Stronger Together artwork.