Life Saving Victoria helps vulnerable swimmers with new training initiatives

With the 2018/19 Victorian summer drowning toll having reached 20, marking the worst start to summer for almost 15 years, Life Saving Victoria (LSV) has developed a range of initiatives to help Victoria’s vulnerable swimmers this season.

A ‘Vulnerable Swimmers Research’ project is well underway targeting vulnerable swimmers at public pools. Following extensive research and a partnership with creative agency ‘Chorus’, newly developed resources are the centre-piece of this awareness campaign, which will be trialled at selected facilities from February.

A relaunch of the ‘Community Awards Program’ is also planned for February, providing easy access to water safety and first aid training tor aquatic facilities, school and community groups.

The program will enable easy access to high-quality training resources and support to underpin improved awareness, skills and techniques across Victorian communities.

Adult water safety education is also extending into the open water environment with the Grey Medallion qualification for over 55’s to be delivered as an Open Water Learning Experience (OWLE), following a successful pilot program.

Changes to the Victorian Curriculum implemented in 2017 have also made swimming and water safety education mandatory in schools. This has been echoed recently with national calls for compulsory swimming in schools, highlighting a need to focus on this issue Australia-wide.

Through the Public Water Safety initiative, LSV is pleased to be working closely with the Victorian Department of Education to develop resources and offer professional development and training in aquatic qualifications for teachers, parents, VCE/VET students and pre-service teachers.

LSV plans to launch a swimming and water safety education online toolkit in the coming weeks. 

LSV’s Education team is also predicting record participant numbers taking part in its award-winning Sink or Swim and OWLE programs with almost 40,000 students already set to take part. 

Innovation is a key focus for the LSV Education team, including virtual reality (VR) resources to engage school-aged children in water safety education, which were also launched recently at www.lsv.com.au/vr.

For more information go to www.lsv.com.au