Indigenous kids learn to Swim and Survive

The Edmund Rice Centre’s Indigenous Multisports Program has proven to be a huge success, with 26 Indigenous children taking part in the six-week Swim & Survive program every Saturday morning at Leisurepark Balga.

Having never had swimming lessons before, the 26 children benefited hugely from the Swim & Survive program. Research has found that the drowning rate amongst Australian Aboriginals is three times higher than other Australian children aged 0–14 years, and is ranked the second-most-common cause of injury death. A review of drowning data indicates limited water-safety awareness combined with alarmingly low participation levels in swimming and water safety programs as key factors.

The children learnt essential swimming and water-safety skills, and will hopefully go on to be safe and successful swimmers! We can’t wait to teach more children to swim and survive at the Champion Lakes Armadale Holiday Swim & Survive Program.

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