The Royal Life Saving Society
An International Lifesaving Partner
Clive Holland
Deputy Commonwealth President
Presentation Overview
• RLSS – A proud history
• Principles of working in partnership
• Experiences from the field
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
What is the Commonwealth?
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
What is RLSS Commonwealth?
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
An Historical Snapshot
1891
1892
1924
1955
1991
2011
2011
Present
•Life Saving
Society
founded by
William
Henry
•Bronze
Medallion
introduced
•Society
incorporated
by Royal
Charter
•National
Branches
established
•First
•Bangladesh,
Pakistan &
Tanzania
become the
most recent
branches
•Received
Civil Society
recognition
•28 Member
Branches
supporting
40 countries,
nations and
territories in
the
Commonwealth
Lifesaving
Sport
Championships
held
Commonwealth
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Motto
Quemcunque Miserum Videris Hominem Scias
Whomsoever you see in distress, recognise in
them a fellow human being
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Mission
To eliminate drowning in the
Commonwealth
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Vision
• We empower people and communities to prevent
drowning.
• We use lifesaving sport to engage youth in the
drowning prevention mission.
• We are a valued partner and significant
contributor to drowning prevention, lifesaving
and lifesaving sport.
• We contribute to the achievement of
Commonwealth Priorities.
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Values
Consistent with the Society’s Motto and
Commonwealth Principles
RLSS believes in:
- Respect for human life
- Equity, diversity, inclusiveness
- Friendship
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Goals
• Financial resources to achieve the Society’s
strategic goals
• Community based drowning prevention a
priority in every Commonwealth country
• A Development Model to guide capacity
building across RLSS in place
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Society Goals
• A mutually valued partnership and an
effective, collaborative working relationship
with ILS
• The link between lifesaving and sport is
evident to participants, the public and media
as evidenced by research.
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
RLSS – What We Do
We, on behalf of and in support of our Members,
– Advocate
– Build capacity
– Collaborate
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Lifesaving in our Communities
Our Member Branches work at the community level to reduce
drowning through:
• Research drowning and aquatic
emergencies to inform practice
• Targeted community-based
Drowning Prevention projects
• Training the community and
professionals in Lifesaving skills for
prevention & emergency response
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Lifesaving in our Communities
Our Member Branches work at the community level to reduce
drowning through:
• Engaging young people in
drowning prevention and
lifesaving through Lifesaving Sport
• Monitoring and assessing aquatic
environments to guarantee safe
participation in safe aquatic environments
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
RLSS – Unique Aspects
• Recognition as a Commonwealth
Civil Society
• Focused in a recognised
network of countries
• RLSS and it’s Membership
shares the same values,
principles, language and laws
through shared history
• Access to Commonwealth Heads of Government
• A family
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Principles of Working in Partnership
• Transparent and not
Threatening
• Cooperative but not
Competitive
• Inclusive and not
Exclusive
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
• Nile Swimmers
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Nile Swimmers – Supporting Nile
Communities
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
• Nile Swimmers
• RNLI
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
RNLI– Developing Support Materials
• Basic Aquatic Survival Project
• Open Source “Toolkit”
• Wider Partnership Involvement
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
• Nile Swimmers
• RNLI
• International Lifesaving Federation
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
ILS – International Collaboration
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
•
•
•
•
Nile Swimmers
RNLI
International Lifesaving Federation
The Commonwealth
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth – Advocating for
Drowning Prevention
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
•
•
•
•
•
Nile Swimmers
RNLI
International Lifesaving Federation
The Commonwealth
Commonwealth Games Federation
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth Games Federation –
Lifesaving Sport a Commonwealth Sport
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Experiences from the field
•
•
•
•
•
Nile Swimmers
RNLI
International Lifesaving Federation
The Commonwealth
Commonwealth Games Federation
• Most Important – Our Members
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
RLSS & Its Members
Our regions
Work of our Members
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Our Members
Working in Guyana
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Our Members
Working in the Philippines
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
Website:
Facebook:
Email:
www.rlsscommonwealth.org
Commonwealth Lifesaving –
The Royal Life Saving Society
[email protected]
To eliminate drowning in the Commonwealth
The Royal Life Saving Society
An International Lifesaving Partner
Clive Holland
Deputy Commonwealth President