Kiwi Swim Safe visits spread water safety messages

With warmer weather on its way Swimming New Zealand’s Education Advisors are out and about spreading water safety messages through the Kiwi Swim Safe programme.

Schools that are part of the programme are visited by Swimming New Zealand who provide training and personal development to teachers around swim and survive education.

Education Operations Manager Tracey Hickman recently visited Banks Avenue School in Christchurch and held a session with the teachers that was based around the “critical thinking” and the classroom module of the Kiwi Swim Safe programme.

Topics included what to do if someone was in trouble, supervision rules around water, how to fit a life jacket properly and where you must wear one, swimming between the flags and a close look at the Surf Life Saving website.

While at the school Tracey also spent some time in the classroom with students discussing water safety messages and hearing some of the students own stories. One student’s first-hand experience of being caught in a rip a reminder of how important it is to be aware of hazards in the water.

“When the tide was rising suddenly a huge wave crashing in before I knew it.  I was stuck in a rip.  It was so scary.  My friend Kieran was in the rip too (a swirl in the dark patch of the water).  The lifeguard came to save me and he took me to shore.  My mum gave me lots of hugs.”

From this student’s experience the school held a mufti day and donated the money to Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Support and education to schools is extremely important and Swimming New Zealand wishes to thank New Zealand Community Trust, Water Safety New Zealand, Canterbury Community Trust and Sport Canterbury for their support to the schools in the Canterbury region.