Funding hike a boon to Swim For Life

KEEPING AFLOAT: Students perform safety of self and others sequence, one of the key competencies in the Water Skills For Life program. Picture supplied

Swim For Life Tairawhiti has been granted $33,200 by the New Zealand Community Trust towards the cost of swimming lessons and a trust manager.

“Swim For Life Tairawhiti has come together to address the decline in children's swimming ability and help our region work towards a consistent record of no drowning,” said trust manager Carl Newman.

“We also wish to provide our local community with some fundamental life skills through aquatic activities to maximise their lifelong participation in a variety of water situations.

“In 2022, the Swim for Life Tairawhiti programme has set itself a goal of delivering to 3200 school students across 41 schools.

“The programme teaches young children in our region, many of whom don't have access to swimming lessons, how to keep safe in aquatic environments.

“This is achieved by delivering a swim and survive education programme targeted at rural and low-decile students.”

The programme consists of ten 20-to-30-minute lessons by an accredited provider for groups of no more than 10 students.

“Due to the vast amounts of ocean and rivers within our region it is very important that our young people have the skills to enjoy these while also staying safe,” Mr Newman said.

“This is a scenario that is becoming increasingly common as families don't have the income to send children to swimming lessons, and schools are under-equipped to deliver the required skills.

“It is a scenario that we continue to challenge. One of the key roles for the trust continues to be the position of trust manager. This person is responsible for making the programme happen and is essential to its continued implementation and to ensure the programme continues to be rolled out at a high standard

“We have strong partnerships with Water Safety New Zealand, who help guide us with content for the programme and ensure we are up to date with what we are delivering to the schools.

“They also provide us with access to their database so we can input all our students and keep track of the progress within the programme.”