![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/In-Article-2023-01-12T100100.825.png\")
“I hear the stories, and I know that Anglesea Starfish Nippers was the first program, how the young people have now that confidence, but not necessarily overly confident in and around water.”<\/p>\n
Mr Crisp’s visit coincides with the latest statistics from Life Saving Victoria that revealed 27 people have fatally drowned in the state since July 2022.<\/p>\n Starfish Nippers has been taken up by more than 40 clubs across Australia and overseas.<\/p>\n Program co-founder Naomi Symington said it was making a difference in water safety by teaching lifesaving to more people. “We are proud to offer a meaningfully inclusive program that enriches not only the lives of our Starfish participants and their families but the fabric of our entire club.”<\/p>\n The program is a modified version of the successful Nippers offering and is structured to run alongside a club’s age group Nippers schedule that focuses on beach and water safety and awareness, while promoting inclusion and diversity.<\/p>\n Activities include running, beach flags, wading, swimming and board use, and activities with a club’s age group.<\/p>\n Mr Crisp said “everyone needs to be educated about water,” and had nothing but praise for Starfish Nippers, which he first witnessed at the Hampton Life Saving Club in Melbourne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE state’s Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp visited Anglesea last weekend to witness participants of the all-ability Starfish Nippers program in action. A clearly impressed Mr Crisp gave credit to all involved with the program that teaches life-saving skills to children and young adults with a disability, which was started by volunteers from the town’s […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/In-Article-2023-01-12T100127.008.png\")
\n“Our hope is that every club around Australia offers an inclusive nipper program,” she said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/01\/In-Article-2023-01-12T100413.887.png\")
<\/p>\n