2024 SLS Youth Development Program

Published: April 26, 2024

During the April school holidays, I attended the Gold Coast Lifesaving Development Program. In just one week, I achieved my First Aid, ART, and IRB crew qualifications, made heaps of friends, and gained valuable experience in responding to a variety of realistic scenarios. This was an incredible program, and I would like to thank Surf Life Saving QLD and Coolum SLSC for the opportunity to participate.

The week of training prepared me for many situations, from minor incidents to much more intense scenarios as the week progressed. I would love to go into detail about each one – but what happened in Talle stays in Talle. However, what I can tell you is this program is full of amazing experiences, including an ice bath, bowling, a helicopter ride, and hours of fun punching through waves in the IRBs.

We had two guest presentations, one on mindfulness and mental health, and the second one from a paramedic educating us on triaging, stress management, and tunnel vision in emergency situations. With the guest presentations and guidance from our leaders, our ability to respond to the scenarios improved. I was PC/radio for a scenario, and the messages we had learned over the week about resource allocation and management of emergency situations enabled me to effectively manage the scenario.

During the week, I made lifesaving friends from Point Danger branch up to Cairns. There were about 15 leaders and 24 participants, and we all got to know each other really well and became a rescue-ready family. I hope to be a development camp leader in a few years and see some of them again. Overall, I can’t recommend this program enough!