A community education program may be delivered by an SLSC as an educational special event. There are several key phases that SLSCs should progress through in order to deliver community education programs that are outlined below:
Phase 1 – Develop a Community Education Program Plan and Program Schedule
This plan should address the following considerations:
Purpose
Why does the SLSC want to run a community education program?
e.g., This may be recruitment, local community concerns or recent events, general community engagement/involvement or it may be with the intention to set up a commercial venture.
Audiences
What community groups for engagement and education exist in our local community?
Community Education Team Members
Who is available at the SLSC to manage, coordinate and deliver community education programs, and what skills and expertise do they possess or need to develop?
e.g., SLS volunteers or staff, tertiary students on school holidays.
Community Education Resources
What resources are available at the SLSC for the delivery of programs and what resources and support do we need?
e.g., Physical, human and online resources.
SWOT Analysis
What strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats exist for engagement and education in the SLSC’s local community?
e.g., Access to resources, challenges, partnerships, competition with local council beach safety programs, schools overwhelmed with contact requests from different SLSCs and branches.
Community Education Programs
What type of community education program do we want to run and how do we want to run it?
e.g., Programs for primary schools, secondary schools, tertiary institutions, CALD communities, corporate groups.
Promotion
How will we reach out to these community groups and what support do we need in this area?
e.g., Social media, promotional trailers, SLSNSW committee members, collaboration with other SLSCs or services.
SLSNSW Support
What does SLSNSW have available to support our community education plans and how we can maximise these?
Phase 2 – Establish an SLSC Community Education Team
Appoint an SLSC Community Education Officer to lead and engage existing members wanting to develop their coastal safety knowledge, event coordination, marketing and/or presentation skills through the coordination and delivery of community education programs.
This team should regularly connect with the SLSNSW Community Education team for support, guidance and insights into their local community. All team members should also complete the SLS Safer Surf Clubs online course Parts 2 and 4 covering risk assessments and special events.
All CMT members should support the SLSCs’ community education teams by promoting the SLSNSW beach and Coastal Safety Hub as a vital learning and resource tool for delivering community education programs.
Phase 3 – Access and Obtain Community Education Resources
Provide your community education team members with access to, and familiarise them with, the SLSNSW Beach and Coastal Safety Hub resources. Also, provide them with permission to order giveaway merchandise available on the SLSNSW Shop as required.
Assist community education team members to obtain, prepare, relocate and maintain community education program specific resources.
Phase 4 – Connect with Local Targeted Community Groups
Connect with local targeted community groups to promote planned programs. The SLSNSW Community Education Team can assist with guidance and resources on how to do this.
Phase 5 – Apply for Involvement in a Special Event
The SLSC Community Education Officer should complete an Application for Involvement in a Special Event Form for all relevant events. The form must be lodged with your local SLSNSW branch or SLSNSW for endorsement at least 2 weeks before the event date (or first event date in a series of events) as per the SLS special event procedures outlined in the SLSA Guidelines for Safer Surf Clubs. This endorsement ensures that the SLS insurance provider covers the community education program activities.
Phase 6 – Deliver the Community Education Program and Collect Feedback
The Community Education Presenters deliver the community education program using the current SLSNSW community education resources and collect feedback for review by Community Education Officers for improved program delivery and engagement with local community members.