Local swimming travels to Wilcannia to teach indigenous children to swim
Hayden Bousfield, one of our fantastic Learn To Swim staff, has just returned from Wilcannia in central NSW, having spent the past fortnight teaching swimming skills to the local indigenous community in a 2 week intensive program.
Wilcannia, near Broken Hill (if you call 195kms away near!), is home to 600 people, 520 of which are indigenous. The town is situated on the Darling river, in an environment which is borderline semi-arid to desert with an annual rainfall of just 255 millimetres, and where temperatures as high as 50 degrees celsius have been recorded. The river is where locals get relief from the heart, but the majority of residents can’t swim. In a generational problem, parents can’t swim, so kids don’t learn, and this dangerous situation is perpetuated. There is a local pool, however, no one is offering swimming lessons. The name Wilcannia is said to be derived from an Aboriginal term for ‘gap in the bank where floodwaters escape’ – which suggests a dangerous situation in itself.
One of the key objectives of the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2016-20, produced by the Australian Water Safety Council (AWSC), is to monitor and expand strategies to reduce drowning in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who continue to be over-represented in drowning statistics, accounting for 6% of all drowning deaths in the 11 financial years between 2004/05 and 2014/15. This is despite accounting for an estimated 3% of the Australian population, so it is obvious that focused drowning prevention strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are urgently required.
The principal of St Theresa’s Community School in Wilcannia, Paul McCabe, is trying to make a change and address the community’s lack of swimming ability. A family friend of Hayden’s, Mr McCabe approached him about the possibility of a 2 week intensive swimming program in Wilcannia, and a plan was hatched.
Hayden traveled to Wilcannia in mid February, and found a community in desperate need of swimming instruction. Swimming is one of the few sports the kids have in Wilcannia, with very few other sporting facilities available, however the public pool is under utilised due to a lack of swimming skills. The pool had a thick layer of thick bugs and live frogs, but once this was cleared, the pool was ready for lessons (apart from the bees and wasps flying overhead – Hayden was stung twice…..).
Hayden was then able to begin working with 28 Aboriginal children enrolled at the school, from 5 to 8 years old. He was both living and working at the school, doing maintenance, and helping in the classroom with reading, writing and maths in the mornings. In the afternoons, after lunch, students and teachers got on a bus and travelled to the public swimming pool for lessons. Swimming skills were varied from the outset, from nonexistent to very poor technique, with minimal distances being achieved. With a lifeguard present, Hayden worked for 10 afternoons kids, with the children divided into 5 groups of 5. By the end of the 2 weeks, the top 2 groups could freestyle with correct technique for 100 metres! The minimum level achieved was for the children to swim 25 meters and get themselves out of the pool – a huge improvement.
Hayden spoke of the challenges presented saying “It was all about filling the kids with confidence – despite being keen to learn, many would get to chest deep and just freak out, and run to the edge or steps of the pool. Some of the children were pretty wild, so it was hard to calm some of the children once they panicked, and difficult to bring them back into the lesson. Sometimes, it was challenging to get them into a lesson in the first place, and continue the lesson for a 15 min blocks”. Hayden added “For instance, the kids would decide they were cold (it was 40 degrees outside, but cooler in the water under the shade sail), so they would get out of the pool and lie in the sun to warm up, telling me ‘We are being lizards!’ We had meltdowns, very colorful language, and I came away with many new insults, many of which I couldn’t previously imagine! But they were all gorgeous kids, colourful characters, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat”.
It seems the children enjoyed it too – interestingly, the swimming program also helped enormously with school attendance rates. Attendance is usually around 50 – 65% of students at school on any given day, but while swimming lessons were a part of the daily curriculum, attendance rates jumped to nearly 100% for the 2 week period!
When asked about the possibility of returning, Hayden said “The school principal and I have discussed that, and he is keen for someone to come back later in year, before summer, to reinforce the skills learnt and teach new students”. When asked if he would recommend a teaching stint in Wilcannia and other regional areas to other swim teachers, Hayden replied “Without a doubt. It was such a great, rewarding experience. Being out there, and seeing a different way that people live in this huge country. I would recommend this experience to any other swim teachers, and would really like to see the program expand into other towns”.
"Wanafunzi wa kuogelea wa Wilcannia walimfundisha mtoto mmoja wa asili wa Australia, Hayden Bousfield, ""kujifunza kuogelea"" na ""kujifunza kuogelea"" na kuanzisha mpango wa mafunzo ya kuogelea kwa watoto wa asili wa Australia." Wilcannia ni mji wa karibu na Broken Hill, karibu na mji wa Wilcannia, karibu na mji wa Wilcannia. Mji huo una wakazi 600, 520 kati yao ni wenyeji wa eneo hilo. Mji huo uko kwenye mto Darling, katika mazingira ambayo ni mipaka ya nusu kavu kwa jangwa na mvua ya kila mwaka ya milimita 255 tu, na ambapo joto la juu kama digrii 50 Celsius limeandikwa. Mto ni ambapo wenyeji kupata misaada kutoka moyo, lakini idadi kubwa ya wakazi hawawezi kuogelea. Katika tatizo la kizazi, wazazi hawawezi kuogelea, kwa hiyo watoto hawajifunzi, na hali hii hatari inaendelea. Kuna dimbwi la ndani, hata hivyo, hakuna mtu anayetoa masomo ya kuogelea. Jina Wilcannia linasemekana kuwa linatokana na neno la Waaborijini kwa <unk> gap katika benki ambapo maji ya mafuriko hutoka <unk> <unk> ambayo inaonyesha hali ya hatari yenyewe. Mfumo wa Usalama wa Maji wa Australia (AWSC) una lengo la kuimarisha uhifadhi wa maji ya Australia na kupunguza mauaji ya watu wa Torres Strait Islander, ambao ni asilimia 6 ya mauaji ya watu wote katika miaka ya kifedha ya 2004-2015. "Hii ni licha ya kuwakilisha takriban 3% ya idadi ya watu wa Australia, kwa hivyo ni dhahiri kwamba mikakati ya kuzuia kuzama kwa watu wa asili na Torres Strait Islander inahitajika haraka. """ Mkurugenzi wa Shule ya Jumuiya ya St. Theresa huko Wilcannia, Paul McCabe, anajaribu kufanya mabadiliko na kushughulikia ukosefu wa uwezo wa kuogelea wa jamii. Mmoja wa marafiki wa Hayden, McCabe, alimwambia kuhusu uwezekano wa programu ya kuogelea ya wiki mbili huko Wilcannia, na mpango ulifanywa. Hayden alisafiri hadi Wilcannia katikati ya Februari, na kupata jamii katika uhitaji mkubwa wa mafunzo ya kuogelea. Kuogelea ni moja ya michezo ya watoto wachache katika Wilcannia, na vifaa vingine vichache sana vya michezo vinapatikana, hata hivyo dimbwi la umma linatumiwa chini kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa ujuzi wa kuogelea. Bwawa lilikuwa na safu nene ya wadudu wazito na vyura walio hai, lakini mara hii ilipofutwa, bwawa lilikuwa tayari kwa masomo (mbali na nyuki na nyigu wanaoruka juu ya kichwa <unk> Hayden alichomwa mara mbili.....). Hayden aliweza kuanza kufanya kazi na watoto 28 wa asili waliojisajili shuleni, kuanzia umri wa miaka mitano hadi minane. Alikuwa akiishi na kufanya kazi shuleni, akifanya matengenezo, na kusaidia darasani na kusoma, kuandika na hesabu asubuhi. Alasiri, baada ya chakula cha mchana, wanafunzi na walimu walipanda basi na kusafiri hadi kwenye dimbwi la kuogelea la umma kwa ajili ya masomo. Ujuzi wa kuogelea ulitofautiana tangu mwanzo, kutoka kutokuwapo hadi mbinu mbaya sana, na umbali mdogo ulifikiwa. Baada ya kupewa nafasi ya kuwaokoa watoto, Hayden aliwaweka katika vikundi vitano. Baada ya wiki mbili, makundi mawili ya juu yaliweza freestyle na mbinu sahihi kwa mita 100! Kwa mfano, kwa watoto wa kawaida, ni muhimu kuogelea mita 25 na kuondoa maji kwenye dimbwi la maji, na kwa watoto wa kawaida, ni muhimu sana. Hayden alizungumza juu ya changamoto zilizowasilishwa akisema, "Ilikuwa ni juu ya kujaza watoto na ujasiri, licha ya kuwa na hamu ya kujifunza, wengi wangepata kifua kina na tu kutisha, na kukimbia kwenye ukingo au hatua za dimbwi. Watoto wengi walikuwa na wasiwasi sana, na ilikuwa vigumu kuwazuia na kuwafanya warudi kwenye masomo. Wakati mwingine, ilikuwa changamoto kuwaingiza katika somo la kwanza, na kuendelea na somo kwa vipande vya dakika 15 <unk>. Hayden aliongeza <unk>Kwa mfano, watoto wangepanga kuwa walikuwa na baridi (ilikuwa digrii 40 nje, lakini baridi zaidi katika maji chini ya kivuli cha matanga), kwa hivyo wangeondoka kwenye dimbwi na kulala kwenye jua ili kupasha joto, wakiniambia <unk>Tuko kuwa vipepeo!<unk> Tulikuwa na mivutano, lugha ya rangi nyingi, na nilitoka na matusi mengi mapya, mengi ambayo sikuweza kufikiria hapo awali! Lakini wote walikuwa watoto gorgeous, wahusika rangi, na ningefanya yote tena katika moyo-beat <unk>. Inaonekana watoto walifurahia pia <unk> ya kuvutia, mpango wa kuogelea pia ulisaidia sana na viwango vya kuhudhuria shule. Kwa kawaida, asilimia 50 hadi 65 ya wanafunzi wanaohudhuria shule kila siku, lakini wakati masomo ya kuogelea yalikuwa sehemu ya mtaala wa kila siku, viwango vya kuhudhuria viliongezeka hadi karibu asilimia 100 kwa kipindi cha wiki mbili. Alipoulizwa juu ya uwezekano wa kurudi, Hayden alisema: "Msimamizi wa shule na mimi tumezungumzia hilo, na anataka mtu arudi baadaye mwaka huu, kabla ya majira ya joto, kuimarisha ujuzi uliopatikana na kufundisha wanafunzi wapya". Alipoulizwa kama angependekeza muda wa kufundisha huko Wilcannia na maeneo mengine ya kikanda kwa walimu wengine wa kuogelea, Hayden alijibu <unk>Bila shaka. Ilikuwa uzoefu mzuri sana na wenye kuthawabisha. Kuishi nje na kuona njia tofauti ya watu kuishi katika nchi hii kubwa. Ningependekeza uzoefu huu kwa walimu wengine wa kuogelea, na ningependa kuona programu hiyo ikipanuka hadi miji mingine.