{"id":82733,"date":"2024-02-16T14:23:15","date_gmt":"2024-02-16T14:23:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=82733"},"modified":"2024-02-25T13:06:40","modified_gmt":"2024-02-25T13:06:40","slug":"within-an-hour-we-can-give-them-life-changing-advice-teaching-water-safety-to-swimmers-from-diverse-backgrounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2024\/02\/16\/within-an-hour-we-can-give-them-life-changing-advice-teaching-water-safety-to-swimmers-from-diverse-backgrounds\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Within an hour we can give them life-changing advice\u2019 \u2013 teaching water safety to swimmers from diverse backgrounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Black Swimming Association Wales has expanded its programme – including a new dads and lads session – to meet a \u2018huge\u2019 demand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A GROWING number of people from diverse communities are taking up aquatic activities thanks to initiatives like The Black Swimming Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithin an hour we can give them life-changing advice,\u201d said Steph Makuvise, BSA Wales national programme manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BSA is \u201csupporting diverse communities accessing opportunities to engage with aquatics”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s really about helping people build a connection with water. We’re essentially the bridge between the aquatic sector and those that aren’t engaged,\u201d said Ms Makuvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BSA Wales, which has been running for two years, covers Newport, Cardiff and Swansea and partnered with Sport Wales in 2022<\/a>. In that time there has been a \u201chuge\u201d appetite for aquatic activities said Ms Makuvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BSA runs free evening sessions at Splott STAR Hub pool as part of their five-week programmes. The sessions are for those looking to increase their water confidence and the goal is to improve safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have recently set up a \u2018dads and lads\u2019 session where fathers and sons learn water safety together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI’ve been swimming since I was two years old.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\nSteph Makuvise, national programme manager, BSA Wales<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Ms Makuvise knows from her personal swimming story the importance of water safety. She is from Zimbabwe where she says many families have pools. Her mother taught her and her brother how to swim at a very young age so that they would be safe on play dates at friends\u2019 houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent growth in people from diverse backgrounds wanting to learn to swim highlights why the work at BSA is important to break down barriers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Makuvise said representation was one of the main barriers to participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BSA commissioned the Our Swim Story<\/a> report in which they found that 84% of Black and Asian respondents felt aquatic activity was uncommon in their community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople don’t know that that big building 500 metres away from their house is a swimming pool,\u201d said Ms Makuvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BSA runs the Together We Can<\/a> which is a five-week programme which teaches people with low water confidence how to swim. It is run in collaboration with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and its main aim is to prevent drownings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each session has up to 16 people and starts with a workshop called Blue Hour<\/em> named after the Golden Hour <\/em>\u2013 the vital hour after a medical emergency where the likelihood of survival is increased if the victim is treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms Makuvise said that the Blue Hour has the biggest impact of all the sessions that the BSA run: \u201cWithin an hour we can give them life changing advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn individual can gain critical information that could save their life, or potentially save the life of someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n