Multiculturalism in the Aquatic Industry

Mindful of Australia's increasing cultural diversity, Aquatics & Recreation Victoria (ARV) is to stage a multicultural awareness workshop.

ARV believes that multicultural awareness is essential for communities, as our cultural identity "is central to what we see, how we make sense of what we see, and how we express ourselves".

Lack of understanding about what constitutes cultural identity, and how we are affected by the various aspects of our worldview, can be a source of conflict and a great hindrance in the development of productive relationships within local communities.

As explained by an ARV spokesperson, "aquatic and recreation facilities are a key link in many local communities and the likelihood of staff members interacting with people of cultural backgrounds quite different from their own is highly probable.

A recent pilot program at Wyndham Leisure & Events Centre, in conjunction with the LeasePlan Western Bulldogs community division, highlighted the need for multicultural awareness in local communities, in particular those that cater for refugees.

Expanding on this ARV's Multicultural Awareness workshop aims to develop knowledge and awareness in catering for the needs of multicultural patrons.

Aquatics & Recreation Victoria's multicultural awareness workshop is being held at Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre on Tuesday 29th July between 6pm and 9pm.

For further information on this workshop contact Aquatics & Recreation Victoria on 03 8843 2000.

The topic of multiculturalism, religion and leisure was explored in the May/June 2008 issue of Australasian Leisure Management.