Latest News

Back to Latest News back

 

Lotterywest funding backs Royal Life Saving WA to deliver water safety education to at-risk communities

Lotterywest funding backs Royal Life Saving WA to deliver water safety education to at-risk communities
October 7, 2021

Royal Life Saving WA has acknowledged its recent receipt of $200,000 in funding from Lotterywest to build water safety skills and reduce the risk of drowning for children and young people in at-risk communities, including emerging multicultural communities in the Perth metropolitan area, over the next two years.

In a statement, Royal Life Saving WA advise “water safety awareness and the ability to swim are central to the Western Australian lifestyle, as our communities love to spend time in, on and around the water.

“Tragically though, 40% of drownings recorded in our state involve people who were born overseas. Research shows a lack of participation in swimming and water safety education classes, and a lack of culturally appropriate access to these programs are contributing factors.”

Royal Life Saving WA go on to advise that during the current school holidays it will be working with “the Perth Myanmar Learning Centre to enable more than 30 children and adults from the Myanmar community to take part in swimming and water safety classes.

The lessons are being held at Swan Active Ballajura, with some participants will learn to swim for the very first time.

Western Australia is home to people from more than 200 countries, speaking approximately 270 languages and practising more than 130 religious’ faiths.

Perth also has one of the highest proportions of people born overseas of all Australian capital cities. Many new arrivals to Western Australia having poor or non-existent swimming and water safety skills, while Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) children have been found to have lower levels of swimming and water safety skills and are less likely to achieve the skills identified to safely participate in water activities due to various barriers including cost, access, medical conditions and cultural issues.

For more than a decade Royal Life Saving WA has been working with many CaLD communities to address some of these issues, successfully implementing specialised children’s, women’s and men’s swimming programs for these communities and addressing many of these barriers to participation. Based on recent settlement data from the Office of Multicultural Interests we have identified three key emerging CaLD communities - South Sudan, Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar) - whose populations are growing in the state and who have so far yet to be engaged in these swimming and water safety programmes.

Advising that the new funding from Lotterywest will enable the organisation to build programming for these communities that meets their specific needs, Royal Life Saving WA Chief Executive, Peter Leaversuch explained “the objective of this project is to deliver culturally appropriate programs, co-designed by these communities, including swimming and water safety lessons to children and adults, water safety talks to youth and basic first aid sessions to parents and carers of young children.

“Our programs will be tailored to engage communities with their local aquatic centres and to lead social impact efforts to build these aquatic centres as a community hub, introducing participants to a range of other activities the centres have to offer, meeting like-minded people and transitioning them into other wellness or leisure activities after the conclusion of the project programs.”

A similar co-design approach will be taken in the Kimberley communities of Balgo and Kalumburu, where the rate of participation in school swimming programs is 5.8 times lower than the rest of Western Australia.

Here, Royal Life Saving WA’s approach will see programs developed in collaboration with these communities and making use of the newly built swimming pools there which it manages.

Royal Life Saving WA is grateful for the support of Lotterywest and looks forward to seeing this new project break down the existing barriers to participation in swimming and water safety education for these communities in key target areas of the Perth metropolitan area and the Kimberley region.

Images: Royal Life Saving WA Swim and Survive program for CaLD children (top) and Royal Life Saving WA Chief Executive Peter Leaversuch (below). Credit: Royal Life Saving WA.

Related Articles

22nd September 2021 - Royal Life Saving announces new partnership program for swim schools

17th September 2021 - Royal Life Saving Webinar to mark 30 years of the GSPO and 25 years of aquatic facility safety assessments

14th September 2021 - Royal Life Saving and National Aquatic Industry Committee provides qualification extensions update

8th September 2021 - Lockdowns contribute to rise in Australian drowning deaths during past year

6th September 2021 - 90% of aquatic facility owners, operators and staff heading towards becoming fully vaccinated

23rd August 2021 - Royal Life Saving provides guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations and aquatic facilities

20th August 2021 - Lotterywest grant contributes to Swanbourne Nedlands Surf Life Saving Club upgrades

10th August 2021 - Aquatic industry delivers $9 billion in economic, health and social benefits to Australia

24th July 2021 - Life Saving bodies urge Australians to take action to end drowning on World Drowning Prevention Day

4th May 2021 - Australian Professional Ocean Lifeguards Association conference to explore reversing rising summer drowning toll

30th April 2021 - United Nations passes first ever Resolution on Global Drowning Prevention

9th April 2021 - Australian Water Safety Council seeks local government backing to help reduce drownings

25th March 2021 - New Water Safety Strategy sets out plan to significantly cut Australia’s drowning rate

15th March 2020 - Lotterywest grant delivers additional features to Midvale Skate Park

9th March 2020 - Royal Life Saving WA releases REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan

19th December 2019 - Royal Life Saving WA partners with LIWA Aquatics to stress water safety vigilance over summer holidays

11th October 2019 - Royal Life Saving WA presents 2019 Bravery Awards

24th January 2019 - Royal Life Saving WA helps women learn to Swim and Survive 

10th December 2018 - Lotterywest provides $700,000 to Surf Life Saving WA to support nippers program

3rd October 2018 - Royal Life Saving Western Australia presents 2018 Bravery Awards

16th August 2018 - Royal Life Saving WA provides Swim and Survive program for CaLD children 

3rd April 2018 - Royal Life Saving WA honouring community heroes

21st March 2018 - Royal Life Saving WA promotes family fun at remote Burringurrah pool

23rd February 2016 - Royal Life Saving warns of drowning dangers in inland water


Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

 

supplier directory

The Complete Guide to Leisure Industry Products & Services.

See the directory see all

Advanced Aquarium Technologies

Advanced Aquarium Technologies (AAT) is a world leader in the design, construction, and operation of landmark public aquariums. Led from Queensland, AAT has delivered aquarium projects in over 25…

read more

Attractions / Consultants / Design / Parks / Zoos

 
 

Jonas Leisure

Jonas Software operates over 110 independently managed software brands around the world, providing them with the strategic guidance and financial security required to be leaders in their respective…

read more

Aquatics / Billing / Fitness / Recreation / Sport

 
 

Active World

Since 2019, Active World's development team has been delivering a comprehensive single solution that caters to the diverse requirements of successfully operated and managed leisure centres. The…

read more

Aquatics / Billing / Fitness / Recreation / Technology

 
 

Yellowbox Lockers

Yellowbox is an Australian technology company that has developed smart locker technology operated through an app with a focus on experience for users and facility managers. Found at Beaches, Aquatic…

read more

Aquatics / Attractions / Entertainment / Retail / Security

 
 

AIS Water

AIS Water, the trading name of Australian Innovative Systems, is a multi-award winning, Australian owned leader in the design, production and supply of commercial and residential chlorine generators…

read more

Aquatics / Safety / Technology

 
 

ICP

ICP is an Australian-based company focused on indoor climbing. ICP will manage your project from initial design to completion and beyond, whether you're building an international-level climbing…

read more

Attractions / Fitness / Recreation

 
 

IEDM

iEDM integrate Design, Engineering and Delivery Management services to convert existing spaces into exciting new entertainment venues. Our team consists of highly qualified professionals with diverse…

read more

Consultants / Design

 
 

GymMaster

Contact: Australia: (+61) 1800 849 001 New Zealand: (+64) 3 668 5727 International: (+1) 415 915 0375

read more

Fitness / Recreation / Technology

 
 
 
 

get listed with our suppliers directory

Get your business noticed in our targeted directory. Viewed by 10,000 industry professionals per week!

list your business