About us
Prevention is better than cure
The Metabolic Symphony project started in response to the alarming trend of type 2 diabetes, and other types of metabolic dysfunction, being diagnosed in children and teenagers – with a high proportion of cases occurring in vulnerable Indigenous communities around the world.
Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and numerous cascading health issues are no longer a consequence of advancing years or alcohol abuse. The global food and physical activity landscape has declined to such a degree that children as young as 3 years old are being diagnosed.
In response, Metabolic Symphony Program founder, Joanna Giles, enlisted an international team of researchers and credentialed health and education specialists to create a set of innovative teaching resources that present the ‘healthy lifestyle’ story to children and their families from a fresh and quirky scientific perspective.
Children take a fascinating journey through the human energy management system and discover how they can keep their own ‘Metabolic Symphony’ humming.
Clinical partners
We are sincerely grateful for the ongoing clinical guidance provided by the Diabetes and Endocrinology Team at Perth Children's Hospital in Western Australia (WA).
​
The Metabolic Symphony project is also very fortunate to have received seed funding from the Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Early funding provided by the PCH Foundation supported trials of the Metabolic Symphony Program in nine Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal primary and high schools, including regional and remote schools in The Kimberley, WA.
We are extremely grateful for assistance afforded to us by the late Honorable Ernie Bridge AM, and his dedicated team during early research with Aboriginal communities in The Kimberley, WA.
We are here for the long haul
Metabolic Symphony is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting the global community to bring about generational behaviour change that will eradicate preventable lifestyle-related disease from the child and adolescent population.
Our goal
​
-
Be a trusted source of life science education
​
-
Provide accurate, accessible and engaging education resources for teachers, families and health professionals
​
-
Build collective knowledge and individual capacity to help people live more intuitively and be inspired to empower others
Sharing the love
​
The Metabolic Symphony Project is driven by passion not profit.
​
We use community-focused promotion and distribution strategies to accomplish our mission, and strict governance to maintain commercial independence.
A percentage of surplus net profit is distributed to the global community to fund initiatives that align with the Metabolic Symphony mission. Please contact us to discuss your local effort and how we can support you.
​
Disclaimer
​
The Metabolic Symphony resources and YiYO games provide general science and health-related information only. They are not intended to provide medical advice. If you have concerns about your health, please consult a registered health professional.
Founder story
Joanna is a passionate child advocate, health educator, professional coach, communication specialist and mother of two.
Jo’s focus on child health and wellbeing began while working at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia where she spent a decade creating internationally award-winning patient education videos about managing type 1 diabetes.
I had the great privilege of working with children who were bravely leveling up to the challenge of integrating type 1 diabetes (T1D) into their lives. At diagnosis, the child patient and their family had to absorb a tonne of information about how their metabolism works, the food they should eat and the way they had to live to stay on top of their condition. They had to get their head around a daily medication regime and hear about the heartbreaking health complications that develop if diabetes is not well managed.
We produced video resources to make their learning journey easier. I gained a deep understanding of metabolic function and witnessed first-hand how education could empower patients and significantly improve their quality of life and health outcomes.
I was horrified when preventable conditions such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) began to emerge in children and teenagers. It occurred to me that the lifestyle management education we provided to families living with T1D could be re-purposed to build a T2D/NAFLD prevention program for the general population.
I am passionate about raising the collective consciousness around why our ancient metabolism is struggling to cope with modern life. I believe this ‘inside’ knowledge will help people make better moment to moment lifestyle choices for themselves, and for those who rely on them for sustenance and behavioural guidance.
