Active Manningham program delivers life-saving water safety skills to CaLD adults

Manningham Council has reported on the success of a program providing life-saving water safety skills to adults from its multicultural community who have little or no swimming experience, with 18 graduating from the first round of the 10-week Safely Engaging with Water Program at the Aquarena Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

Manningham Mayor, Deirdre Diamante, attended the final session and celebration event, presenting certificates to the successful participants together with Dr Harpreet Singh Kandra, who helped develop the program with Aligned Leisure.

Aiming to help participants overcome fear and anxiety associated with water while reducing the risk of drowning, the Active Manningham program has set out to create a safe, inclusive environment for adults from multicultural communities to learn about water safety and develop basic swimming skills.

Congratulating the graduates for taking the important first step of learning to swim, Mayor Diamante commented “water safety is such a valuable life skill. I'd like to thank Dr Kandra and Aligned Leisure for making this life-saving program available to our multicultural community.”

The program offers subsidised male-only and female-only sessions with experienced instructors of the same gender during quieter off-peak times, providing a more comfortable learning environment for participants.

Round 2 of the program starts on Saturday 26th April.

Visit Active Manningham for more information.