NSSRP promotes water safety, youth employability within Calgary community

For many newcomers in Calgary, Vivo for Healthier Generations’ community centre is a place where they step into a pool for the very first time. 

But when the non-profit organization opened the facility’s doors in September 2023, they faced a lifeguard and swim instructor shortage - much like many other communities across Canada. This meant that they had limited staff, and fewer options for swimming lessons and aquatics programs. It was only open 10 hours a week, making it difficult for people to schedule time to learn important water skills and how to stay safe while swimming.  

The community’s youth, who would usually fill these roles, also faced barriers to employment. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them were not able to gain the certifications and skills necessary to be lifeguards and swim instructors. The pandemic also prevented them from learning important skills most young people gain from their first jobs.  

“COVID-19 happened during a very influential time in their lives, where they would have been learning these skills naturally. The pandemic had an abrupt pivot for them,” says Aimee Johnston, Vivo’s general manager of operations. 

Shortly after the facility opened its doors, however, it became a community hub where residents were given more opportunities to swim, and where youth could gain important job skills – thanks to funding from the CPRA’s National Swimming Recovery Program (NSSRP), which was funded in part by the Government of Canada.  

As part of the program, the centre’s 19 newly hired employees received their lifeguard and swim instructor certifications, with four youth also participating in Vivo’s SwimAbilities instructor course - which allowed them to lead programming for caregivers and individuals with various abilities.  

Once they received their certifications, Johnston says that the job opportunities provided youth with many important skills including communication, conflict management, leadership, creativity, and problem-solving that they can transfer to other types of work. 

The certification courses, which were delivered at no cost to the participants, also removed financial barriers for youth – including some participants who were new to Canada, and needed the work to help support their families. 

“They were grateful to have the financial support. You could just tell, by the look on their face, that it meant so much to receive this training free-of-cost and continue to make money,” Johnston says. “It was a huge reward for them.” 

She adds that the NSSRP also allowed the organization to explore future training opportunities they can give staff, particularly youth who are experiencing employment for the first time. 

“If we’re looking at somebody that’s coming out of their first lifeguarding course, or their first instructor course, they don’t necessarily have the teaching skills or they haven’t guarded before,” she says. “This program has allowed us to really look at what training programs we need to create as an organization to make sure these individuals are set up for success.” 

The additional staff also had a great impact on promoting water safety within the community. Johnston says the centre became a hub, with the pool’s hours expanded to 17 hours a day and programming options for individuals of various abilities and their caregivers. It also offered more swimming options for newcomers to Canada – many of whom have no prior swimming experience. 

“By being able to cross-train and cross-certify so many individuals, it’s allowed us to have more volume of instructors so more people can sign up for lessons,” says Johnston, adding that the number of swimming lesson students tripled throughout 2024 – from 300 participants in January, to 900 participants in September.  

Josh Cinnamon, Vivo’s aquatics manager, describes the program as “hugely impactful” both for the organization, and for the community. 

“Teaching water safety, and giving people the ability to experience the aquatic environment safely, is really, really important,” says Cinnamon. “Without the ability to fund these additional certifications for our staff, there’s no way we would be at the point we’re at with access to programs.”