Belgravia Foundation, Belgravia Leisure and ARV finalists for the Victorian Disability Sport & Recreation Awards

Belgravia Foundation is proud to be acknowledged as a finalist for the 2022 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards in the category of Active Recreation and Leisure Initiative of the Year, alongside it’s collaboration partners Belgravia Leisure and Aquatics & Recreation Victoria (ARV). The nominated initiative is the Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide.  

The Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide was created in 2021 by a collaboration between Belgravia Leisure, Belgravia Foundation and Aquatics & Recreation Victoria. It is designed to assist aquatics and recreation organisations to improve access for underrepresented communities and increase participation opportunities for those who often miss out.  

Evidence confirms that the biggest enabler to support inclusion across our services, programs and facilities is our people. People have the ability to create a safe, welcoming, supportive and inclusive environments for ALL to participate, but the opposite can also occur if our people do not feel confident or capable to engage and connect with all members of the community. This is why the Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide is such a valuable asset. 

This guide is a ground-breaking resource created specifically for the leisure industry. Many guides currently exist to support pathways to sport, but none support the specific uniqueness of the leisure sector.  

Reflecting on what is known as best practice in organisational change, the resource is divided into two sections: one for leaders looking for organisation-wide approaches to inclusion, and another for local champions who would like to implement inclusive initiatives in their venues or regions. The 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 

  • Free, online, available 24/7  

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

 

To ensure best practice methods and resources remain contemporary in this guide, Belgravia Foundation has pledged to support ARV to maintain the content.  

Belgravia Foundation is also committed to acknowledging and celebrating examples of inclusion excellence through regularly updated case studies for the guide. 

Check out the Inclusive Aquatics and Recreation Guide at the following link: https://www.aquaticsandrecreation.org.au/inclusive-aquatics-and-recreation/ 

Belgravia Foundation would like to congratulate all nominees as a part of the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards and look forward to the awards night in November to celebrate the outstanding contributions of the industry in creating more opportunities for people with a disability to participate in sport and recreation. 

Emma Lowe