Clontarf Academy boys learn vital Bronze Medallion skills

Royal Life Saving WA, together with program partners the City of Armadale, are currently running an Extended Bronze Medallion Course for young indigenous boys from the Clontarf Academy at Cecil Andrews College in Armadale. The program is supported by the City of Armadale, AusSport and Lotterywest.

The boys, who are in Year Nine, began the first component of the course last week, learning aquatic rescue skills at the newly refurbished Armadale Fitness and Aquatic Centre. The three-part program will run across ten sessions, with the boys initially progressing their swimming skills before taking on the full Bronze Medallion course.

The aim of the program is to provide these youth with opportunities to gain the skills they need to get qualified and employed at their local aquatic centres. The City of Armadale is home to 2,035 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and that population is growing. There is a strong need for programs like the Bronze Medallion to assist the local community in enabling Indigenous youths to get qualified and gain employment.

Aboriginal children and youth are 8.6 times more likely to drown than other Western Australians, often due to lack of access to swimming and water safety education. The Extended Bronze Medallion Program is a recent initiative by Royal Life Saving WA to cater for youths who are more ‘at-risk’ and face barriers to participation.

For more information on Royal Life Saving’s Access and Equity program to engage Indigenous Western Australians please click the link below.