Swim England

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Inspiring the next generation of volunteers

Swim England News

Each year, regional young volunteer programmes inspire young people across the country to get more involved with the sport they love.

Our regions understand how important their volunteers are. They run programmes which are aimed at the next generation of volunteers.

As part of Volunteer’s Week 2017, we are going to highlight two successful programmes. Our first is from our North East Region.

Young Volunteers Development Days in the North East

The North East Region has offered Young Volunteers Development Days for the last few years.

The aim of the development days is to build confidence in young volunteers and offer a solid foundation for them to build upon as they develop their skills.

They are designed for people aged 14-25 years old and have been very popular. Last year alone, 49 young people attended a development day. The day delivered Young Aquatic Leaders training and a Positive Behaviour workshop.

A club network also delivered an Aquatic Helpers Workshop for 12 volunteers. The opportunity challenged them to work within a team.

It encouraged them to step outside of their comfort zone and develop communication, organisation, leadership and planning skills.

What does the training mean in practice?

Following the training, the volunteers had a chance to put it into practice. They did this with the support of mentors from almost 30 clubs in the region.

This enabled them to experience a wide variety of aquatic activities including fun events, competitions, time trials, instructing and officiating. They also formed youth forums and committees.

Many of these young volunteers are now part of their club’s workforce.  Many of the skills learned contributed towards GCSE qualifications and Duke of Edinburgh certificates.

Our North East Region Club Development Officer David Parry said: “The swimmers from Aquaforce Swimming Academy Hartlepool, Middlesborough ASC, Guisborough ASC and Thornaby ASC were all a credit to the clubs they represented.

“All participants brought a great deal of maturity, knowledge and most importantly enthusiasm to the workshop.

“It is always so satisfying to see the participants grow in confidence over the few hours when they are undertaking the practical element of the workshop.

“The teachers and coaches who the course participant were working alongside, all commented on the enthusiasm of the helpers.”

To find out more about volunteering in your area, please speak to your local Swim England region. You can also find out more by contacting volunteering@swimming.org.

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