YMCA urges parents to keep children's water safety skills a priority

Following the Royal Life Saving Society's recent revelation (see link below) that one in five children will leave primary school this year without swimming and water safety skills, YMCA Victoria is urging parents to continue their children's water safety skills this summer.

To help, the YMCA Victoria is running a five day intensive AquaSafe Holiday Program over the summer period at pools and aquatic facilities across the state.

YMCA Victoria Chief Executive Peter Burns explains âtoo many drownings occur across the nation every year, and we're focused on giving children more opportunities to be safer in and around water.

"The key focus of our AquaSafe Holiday Program is to provide students with opportunities to gain vital water safety skills and personal survival knowledge to help keep them safer in all aquatic environments they might encounter.

"Children can experience a lot of different water environments over the summer holidays - backyards, public pools, rivers, lakes, beaches and oceans. We want to help prepare children for the potential dangers of these environments."

The five day intensive development program is instructed by AUSTSWIM qualified teachers and each session runs for 45 minutes.

The YMCA is also offering a 10% saving on the holiday program for enrolments before Monday 20th December 2010.

Burns adds "we know it's an expensive time of year with Christmas and holidays approaching and we want to make it a little easier for families."

YMCA also offers subsidised access to families experiencing disadvantage with hundreds of Victorian families already receiving this funding.

With the VICSWIM program not running this year, YMCA Victoria is making sure there are many opportunities for aquatic education over the summer holidays. Last year the Y provided aquatic education to more than 22,000 Victorian school children. 

17th November 2010 - ONE IN FIVE AUSSIE KIDS CAN’T SWIM 

10th February 2010 - HANSON BACKS LEARN TO SWIM LESSONS FOR ALL AUSSIE KIDS

11th November 2009 - DROWNING SPARKS CALL FOR NATIONAL WATER SAFETY PROGRAM 

19th March 2009 - YMCA CALLS FOR INVESTMENT IN HEALTH