Summer Leadership Challenge Lifeguarding

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

Summer Leadership Challenge Lifeguarding (SLCL) is a program sponsored by Montgomery County Recreation to benefit teens in low-income areas of the county by helping them learn the skills needed to become a certified lifeguard. It was created to deliver skill development and leadership training for future lifeguarding opportunities to teens in middle school and high school.The leadership development program encourages exploration, independence and personal growth. Instruction focuses on water skills needed for successful completion of the American Red Cross pre-course skills test for lifeguard training.The SLCL program also includes interactive workshops that prepare young people for leadership roles and employment. It aims to empower participants to make positive changes in themselves and to affect positive change in their communities. The leadership development program promotes exploration, individual independence and personal growth.In SLCL, young people have established lasting friendships, developed a sense of responsibility, learned to work effectively in groups, built accountability, and gained the confidence to solve problems independently. Participants may also earn CPR and First Aid certification, and they are exposed to other water activities such as canoeing and SCUBA diving.