Multicultural swimming lessons breaking down barriers
As we celebrate Harmony Week, Royal Life Saving WA continues to work hard to make swimming and water safety education accessible to all. The latest WA Drowning Report found 30.8% of drowning deaths in WA over the past year involved people who were born overseas, the largest proportion of any state or territory in Australia.
Royal Life Saving is committed to reducing this statistic, teaming up with Jandakot MLA Yaz Mubarakai, and Riverton MLA Dr Jagadish Krishnan, to promote culturally appropriate Swim and Survive lessons.
Working in consultation with multicultural communities, Royal Life Saving has developed Women’s and Men’s Only lessons, which open doors for people who may avoid public pools for cultural or religious reasons. The classes provide access to swimming and water safety education in a culturally sensitive and welcoming environment over an in-depth eight-week course.
Inhwa Park grew up in South Korea and could hardly swim when she moved to Australia five years ago. She’s been taking part in the Women’s Only program for six months.
“In South Korea we had swimming lessons in kindy but I couldn’t remember anything I learned. When I came to Australia I didn’t know how to swim and was really afraid to go to the beach,” she said.
“Now I’ve overcome that fear and feel more comfortable in the water, and I can go to the beach with my friends.”
Royal Life Saving WA Senior Manager Education, Trent Hotchkin says this is an extremely important program.
“Often swimming and water safety education is overlooked by new migrants due to barriers such as cost and availability, and for many migrant women the issue of cultural modesty is extremely important. We’re working hard to address these barriers to participation so that swimming, lifesaving and community education programs are appropriate and accessible to all Australians.”
Yaz Mubarakai MLA, encourages people from all backgrounds to take part.
"I’m partnering with Royal Life Saving to raise awareness about the importance of swimming and water safety among new residents, overseas visitors, and international students. Together, we can make our communities safer while enjoying our amazing West Australian lifestyle."
Swim and Survive Multicultural Ambassador, Dr Jagadish Krishnan MLA, says it’s important to address the crucial issue of water safety in our multicultural community.
“Hosting these safety lessons in our community will make it easy for local residents to take full advantage of the amazing services on offer from Royal Life Saving, and these classes will undoubtedly have a strong and positive impact on safety in the water.”
For more information on Royal Life Saving WA’s multicultural Swim and Survive programs visit the link below.
