RLSSWA's Achol Madong (centre), with Nyadol Nyuon and Ayor Makur Chuot at the WA Multicultural Awards

Celebrating the WA multicultural community

Royal Life Saving WA is proud of the extensive work we do year-round to support multicultural communities across the state. Drowning data shows that those who were born overseas are over-represented when it comes to both fatal and non-fatal drowning incidents in WA, accounting for almost 40% of drowning deaths in the past ten years.

For a number of years our Swim and Survive Access and Equity team has worked with our Multicultural Steering Committee to develop culturally appropriate swimming and water safety programming, tailored to suit a variety of multicultural communities across metro and regional areas. This committee gathers the collective knowledge of cultural groups including the Chung Wah Association, the Indian Society, settlement agencies including ISHAR, Communicare, as well as state and local government to better understand the barriers, cultural understandings and adaptations needed to increase water safety skills and participation.

The work of this committee has seen more swimming and water safety programs delivered within an ever-expanding range of cultural groups, ensuring those who would otherwise miss out on learning these vital skills are provided with the opportunity to engage with our Swim and Survive program. More than 3000 multicultural community members take part in these programs each year.

Recently Royal Life Saving WA was a part of the Western Australian Multicultural Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Western Australians who have accomplished outstanding work in advancing multiculturalism. Royal Life Saving Senior Manager Education, Trent Hotchkin, and Inclusion Coordinator, Achol Madong, attended the event, networking with others across the WA community who are also dedicated to the development of the state’s multicultural communities.

We were a finalist in the Community Organisation Award category, and although we didn’t win the award, which was received by MercyCare, it was an honour to reach this stage in the awards process.

You can read more about our extensive work in WA’s multicultural communities at the link below.