Belgravia Leisure urges teenagers swim enrolment amid alarming skill gap

In response to Royal Life Saving Australia’s recently released data that shows lifesaving skills of high school students are not up to standard, Belgravia Leisure is urging families to act by enrolling teenagers with weak swimming skills in a learn to swim program.

According to Royal Life Saving, an estimated 84% of 15-16-year-olds are unable to swim 400 metres and tread water for five minutes - a basic lifesaving requirement and the benchmark for 17-year-olds.

In response to this skill gap, Belgravia Leisure is offering 180 students at 18 venues across Victoria, South Australia and NSW a $100 Kickstart to Swim Sponsorship to help families get their teen started in a GOswim Teen Program. The GOswim Teen Program offers a tailored learn to swim program for students aged between 13 and 17 years of age. The course, which meets national benchmarks for RLSSA, includes water safety and survival skills to reduce incidents in open water environments when teens are with their peers and possibly without supervision.

There are currently almost 800 teenagers across Australia who are currently learning how to swim in a GOswim Teen Program.

At Mill Park Leisure Centre in Victoria, demand for teen swimming lessons is soaring, with 29 classes catering to 136 students each week. The program is growing in popularity, with class offerings up 21% from 2024.

Explaining how the program has adapted to meet the needs of older beginners, Carolina Curcic, the facility's Aquatic Services Manager, advises "we recognise that teens may feel uncomfortable learning alongside younger children, so we offer lessons in the shallow end of our 25m pool with peers of a similar age. This fosters a supportive and confidence-building environment, ensuring student progress at their own pace."

Concerned shocked at the worrying data reflecting teenager's lack of swimming skills, Royal Life Saving Australia Chief Executive, Dr Justin Scarr states "our report on declining children’s swimming skills is a wakeup call. I was shocked to learn that 39% of year 10 students can’t reach the primary school benchmark – swim 50m and float for 2 minutes. Poor swimming skills put them at significant risk of missing out on the many benefits that being able to swim affords, making them highly vulnerable to drowning as young adults.

“It’s alarming to see so many children missing out. We risk creating a generation with extremely poor swimming skills. Coordinated investments are needed to boost the swimming and lifesaving skills of children and young people, especially those aged 10-14 years who can’t yet swim 50 metres, before it's too late.”

Highlighting the importance of engaging teenagers in swimming in innovative ways, Belgravia Leisure Aquatics Specialist, Cheryl McLennan adds "traditional swimming programs have focused on younger children, but with rising drowning rates among teens and young adults, we need to rethink our approach. The GOswim Teen program not only builds competency in the water but also opens doors to potential aquatic careers as lifeguards or swim teachers.

“With drowning statistics on the rise, now is the time to prioritise swimming education for teens. The GOswim Teen Program is more than just a lesson - it’s a lifesaving opportunity."

The GOswim Teen Program is on offer from this week until Sunday 20th April across Belgravia Leisure managed venues in NSW, South Australia, ACT and Victoria.

Venues in the program
Gungahlin Leisure Centre, ACT
Lakeside Leisure Centre, ACT
Stromlo Leisure Centre, ACT
Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, NSW
Great Lakes Aquatic Leisure Centre, NSW
Inverell Aquatic Centre, NSW
Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre, NSW
Kurri Kurri Aquatic and Fitness Centre, NSW
Lakeside Leisure Centre, NSW
Whitlam Leisure Centre, NSW
Wollondilly Community Leisure Centre, NSW
The Rex Barossa, South Australia
Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre, Victoria 
Knox Leisureworks, Victoria
Mill Park Leisure, Victoria
Swan Hill Aquatic and Recreation Centre, Victoria
Thomastown Recreation and Aquatic Centre, Victoria
WaterMarc, Victoria
Whittlesea Swim Centre, Victoria
Yawa Aquatic Centre, Victoria

Image: The Auburn Ruth Everuss Aquatic Centre.