Emily Balcombe, Royal Life Saving WA Inclusion Coordinator, stands next to Amy Tyers at the Cultural Awareness Training program at UWA.

RLSSWA leads the way in promoting Cultural Awareness

To promote better cultural awareness across our aquatic industry, Royal Life Saving WA has begun cultural awareness training, delivering the program across two components: CaLD (Culturally and Linguistically Diverse) communities and Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training.

Recently presented at the annual AUSTSWIM Conference at the UWA business school, RLSSWA is now leading the way in providing professional development to swim instructors, community trainers, aquatic centre staff and our own subcontractors, in cultural awareness. We recognise the value and importance of this new aspect of our business with many of our Endorsed Swim Schools and Instructors delivering programs in the metro and remote areas within at-risk groups and communities.

The training focuses on different cultures in our society and what it means to be culturally aware, how to effectively work with Aboriginal communities and ensure they are engaged with the programs. Our culture awareness training addresses the barriers indigenous communities face when learning swimming and water safety skills, and involves scenarios and group activities which put the theories learned into action.

Royal Life Saving WA is ensuring that we are providing training needed to ensure these programs are culturally appropriate. We recognise the cultural sensitives of all communities and importance to have them feel welcome as we tailor our programs to suit their needs.

Creating these cultural awareness training programs has been a collaborative effort, with RLSSWA teaming our extensive experience working with CALD and Aboriginal communities with key stakeholders, such as: The Metropolitan Migrant Resource Centre, Edmund Rice Centre, Inclusion Solutions, Clontarf Foundation, Health Consumers Council and the Wirrpanda Foundation.

Currently we are delivering the programs to swimming instructors from our Endorsed Swim Schools and and holding three community training professional development sessions. We envisage having as many Endorsed Swim Schools, aquatic centres and instructors undertaking this training as possible, as we encourage interested communities, groups and individuals to register.

For more information and to register your interest, please click below.