School holiday fun as kids learn to save lives

Royal Life Saving WA firmly believes in its motto that “Everyone can be a lifesaver!” We recognise the need for vital lifesaving skills to be understood by all members of our community, including children, however regular first aid and CPR courses may not be suitable for a younger age group.

For this reason we’ve been running a special Kids First Aid course during the school holidays over the past four years. The course is specifically designed for children in the pre-teen and early-teen years with the aim of enabling them to learn vital first aid and CPR skills with others their age, and in an environment suited to their understanding and interests.

The program has usually been held at the Royal Life Saving WA headquarters in Mount Claremont, but recently we expanded it to Kingsway Indoor Stadium in Madeley and Armadale Aquatic Centre to provide parents with further options to get their kids involved. Since the introduction of the course in mid-2016 around 500 children have attended, ranging in age from 8-14 years. During the recent school holidays alone 44 kids took part, with a Royal Life Saving community trainer leading them through fun, interactive, hands on activities to teach them skills to assist in an emergency situation anywhere, anytime.

Local mum, Lauren Kettle, sent her children along these holidays and says it was a definitely a highlight! “My kids where so excited and were so keen to demonstrate what they have learnt. I was curious as to how it would be age appropriate but have been blown away by how much they absorbed.”

Six courses will be held across the metro area during the September school holidays and we encourage parents to get their children involved. You can find out more and book in at the link below.