8% complete
$25,000 Goal
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Operated by the California State Park lifeguards, the program is available at state beaches in the Los Angeles, Ventura, Monterey, Orange County, San Diego, Santa Barbara County, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt County areas and at Lake Perris and Folsom Lake SRAs, the San Luis Reservoir and Lake Tahoe.
The goal of this fundraising is to support the program and ensure that all youth -- regardless of income and family funds, or ability level -- can participate. We seek to ensure equitable access to this important water-safety program. Funds raised here* can provide vital programs, services, and equipment to ensure that anyone who wants to participate will be able to do so.
The Junior Lifeguard Program emphasizes Teamwork, Leadership, and Aquatic Safety while introducing young people to safe marine and aquatic recreation opportunities. The program is designed to provide quality water safety education while improving young people's physical conditioning, their understanding and respect for the environment, and their respect for themselves, their parents, and their peers. Students of all abilities and skill levels may participate.
At all stages of the program, safety is a primary consideration. The purpose of the State Park Junior Lifeguard Program is accomplished by activities such as instruction and practice in open-water swimming, paddle-boarding, body surfing, body boarding, surfboarding, windsurfing, kayaking, skin diving and self rescue. Moreover, critical first-aid training is provided to students (bleeding control, CPR and more) along with lifesaving skills (identifying hazards, safety education, performing rescues). A key goal of the program is to provide foundational knowledge for junior lifeguards to prevent accidents from happening in the ocean or lake environment, and provide training to help them be prepared for emergencies they may encounter. When students become ocean safe though learning self-rescue skills, they can begin to keep their aquatic environment safe.
Respect for the park environment is increased by the understanding gained by daily physical contact with the environment and through lecture and discussion of pertinent marine and aquatic topics. Increased self-respect is gained through personal progress and accomplishments. Respect for others is increased by constant contact with compassionate instructors and by working with other youths in a team-building environment. The Junior Lifeguards' team-building philosophy is ideal for learning how to deal with various water safety situations.
*Just so you know, Parks California, the state-wide non profit partner of California State Parks, receives 15% of the donation to cover administrative and overhead costs.