Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure partnered with Aquatics & Recreation Victoria (ARV) in 2021 to develop a first of its kind access and inclusion guide for the leisure industry. 

Earlier this year ARV launched the completed project at their ‘Future-Proofing our Industry – Bouncing back from COVID-19’ industry breakfast forum held at the newly opened Danny Frawley Centre, managed by Belgravia Leisure in Moorabbin, Victoria. 

The Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide is designed to assist aquatics and recreation organisations to improve access for underrepresented communities and increase participation opportunities for those who often miss out. Reflecting what is known in regard best practice and organisational change, the resource is divided into two sections: one for leaders looking for organisation-wide approaches, and another for local champions who would like to implement initiatives in their venues or regions. This approach was taken as research has confirmed and Belgravia Leisure knew that people are the biggest enablers to support inclusion. Therefore, to create more opportunities for underrepresented groups to participate in our industry's facilities, services and programs we need to increase the confidence and capacity of people who work and lead in the aquatics and recreation sector.  

The aquatics and recreation guide includes:  

• Best practise, evidence-based information and resources about inclusion specifically tailored to the aquatics and recreation industry  

• Case studies, underpinned by evidence, from many leisure management organisations ​to highlight excellence and bring context to the content  

• Relevant material for all roles within an organisation or facility  

• CEO through to casual team members   

• Accessibility features  

• Free, online, available 24/7  

• Can be re-visited any time and worked through at own pace  

• UserWay web accessibility functions  

Kathy Patron, Chief Executive Officer of ARV said, I congratulate Belgravia Foundation and Belgravia Leisure on the development of the “Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide”, a highly valuable industry resource that will support improved access for underrepresented communities and increase participation opportunities for those who often miss out on aquatics and recreation activities within Victorian Aquatic and Recreation facilities. ARV has an objective to increase equity, inclusion and diversity within our industry. Industry’s use of resource this resource will assist to enable this outcome. 

Emma Lowe, Belgravia Leisure’s National Access and Inclusion Coordinator, who led a team to complete the project, said we are proud to have been involved in supporting access and inclusion as part of this great new initiative in partnership with Belgravia Foundation and ARV. We know that some sections of our community are still not equally represented as participants in aquatics and recreation, so Belgravia Leisure is immensely proud of our team for creating a body of work that will help to deliver positive change in our industry. 

Nick Cox, Chief Executive Officer of Belgravia Leisure said, we are honoured to be involved in supporting access and inclusion as part of this great new initiative from ARV. We know that some sections of our community are still not equally represented as participants in aquatics and recreation. Belgravia Leisure is immensely proud of our team for creating a body of work that will help to deliver positive change in our industry and the communities we serve. 

Belgravia Foundation has committed to maintaining and expanding the guide’s content to ensure it remains contemporary and includes case study examples of excellence across the industry. 

Access the ‘Inclusive aquatics and recreation: a guide to increasing participation by underrepresented communities’ here: https://www.aquaticsandrecreation.org.au/inclusive-aquatics-and-recreation