The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in the UK is looking for a young person to head up a water safety project which will aim to save the lives of other young people. RoSPA is looking to run its third project with the Changemakers Foundation to support a “young advocate” – a hands-on role with the safety charity which gives people aged between 18 and 25 the chance to get involved in accident prevention.
Following the completion of a successful second partnership between RoSPA’s road safety team and the Changemakers Future Leaders programme, a young advocate is now being sought to work in the leisure safety team.The young advocate will be placed with RoSPA for 10 days over a six-month period and will take the lead in a project to improve the charity’s involvement with young people in water safety.
Alongside safety education and road, home and occupational safety, leisure safety, which includes water safety, is one of RoSPA’s key areas of work.
Peter Cornall, RoSPA’s head of leisure safety, said: “The Future Leaders programme provides an excellent opportunity for young people to get involved in the work of RoSPA and to make a direct and lasting contribution to saving lives and reducing injuries.
“With drowning the third leading cause of accidental death among children, it is clear that water safety is an important issue for young people.
“We are hoping this project will help RoSPA further promote water safety education and importantly provide young people with more tools to do this themselves.”
The first young advocate to work with RoSPA researched young people’s attitudes to driver training. Her findings helped prompt the creation of the Young Drivers Assessment, a RoSPA service which offers expert appraisal and advice on driving habits, skills and attitudes. The second young advocate investigated the difficulties faced by young male drivers in getting reasonably-priced insurance deals.
While the young advocates benefit from working with the UK’s leading safety charity, RoSPA also gains from the Future Leaders programme, which is designed for organisations seeking to improve the way they engage with young people. Throughout each placement, a Changemakers mentoring partnership is in place for RoSPA as well as the young advocate, giving the Society access to Changemakers’ expertise and experience of increasing youth involvement.
Anyone interested in the water safety position should request an application form from Sam Neal, RoSPA’s leisure safety information officer, at [email protected]. Completed application forms need to be returned by December 11. Interviews for the post are due to take place on December 16. For more information, email [email protected]
