WaterWombats founder Carol Jennings was motivated by her own family experience. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A Canberra social worker who founded the WaterWombats program, which has taught hundreds of neurodiverse children how to swim, has been recognised for her achievements.
Carol Jennings, 49, took out the 2024 Spirit of Resilience gong at suicide prevention charity Lifeline Canberra’s inaugural Spirit of Canberra awards at Old Parliament House on Thursday (24 October).
The resilience award pays tribute to those who have overcome adversity and are using their experience to better their community.
Ms Jennings’ family motivated her to launch the swim program three years ago.
“I have neurodiverse children myself and I noticed they were struggling at mainstream classes with the sensory overload and not being able to keep up with the group,” she said.
“They loved water but were struggling to develop skills. Through research and a deep dive into community need, I discovered I wasn’t alone. So we decided to start a charity to support children with additional needs to learn to swim and be safe.”
While the term ‘swim class’ evokes images of large groups of children splashing and frolicking in a pool, Ms Jennings offers something different.
“We provide mostly one-on-one lessons with allied health professionals, we have exercise physiologists, occupational therapists, social workers, a drama therapist and a medical doctor on top of the swim coach,” she said.
“The ultimate goal might be swimming, but we develop lots of other skills. Over the past year, we’ve taken in 70 children per term, so we’ve taught several hundred children so far.”
On Thursday, Lifeline Canberra also handed out its Spirit of Hope Award to data scientist Tristan Morris. He was nominated for his commitment to community safety through the development of his app, Bushfire.io, after the 2019 Black Summer bushfires.
The Lifeline Spirit of Canberra Awards were held at Old Parliament House. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A Spirit of Impact gong went to communications agency Threesides Marketing for its partnership with charity Menslink, which has supported young people facing mental health challenges. This award was designed to recognise a Canberran organisation that used position in the community for good, investing in the community and elevating its staff and clients.
Karen Schlage took out the 2024 People’s Choice Award for her advocacy work exploring change in the Australian pregnancy grief and loss space. This prize was voted on by the community.
“Our role at Lifeline is to ensure we continue to come together as a community, to instil compassion and kindness in every connection. These awards allow us to have this incredibly important conversation in a new and exciting way,” Lifeline Canberra CEO Carrie Leeson said.
Lifeline Canberra and its presenting partner, Icon Water, said they were proud to bring attention and awareness to the work of all the 2024 Spirit of Canberra Award nominees.
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