ESTAMOS AQUÍ PARA AYUDAR.
ESTAMOS AQUÍ PARA AYUDAR.
ESTAMOS AQUÍ PARA AYUDAR.
NADAR DEBE SER PARA DISFRUTAR DE LA VIDA. SIN ARRIESGARLO.
Welcome to safer aquatics.
A FAST COMPANY WORLD CHANGING IDEAS Honoree 2022 • An AQUATICS INTERNATIONAL MVP PRODUCT of the YEAR 2022
ASK A CEO
Q&A with Boys & Girls Club of Metro South.
From an article originally appearing in BEHIND THE BLUE DOOR
As a former Club lifeguard, Derek W. Heim,
President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South, knows exactly what it takes to keeps safe in and out of pools.
Discover how he's made swimming safer for Club kids and the teens who look out for them by investing in the WAVE Drowning Prevention System.
2022-2023 Roxanne Spillett Honor Award Winner Culture of Safety.
Watch this interview with Mr. Heim regarding his experience with WAVE.
I also believe safety should not be determined by income - youth in our Clubs should have the same access to safety that their peers do in the wealthiest communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
That's why one of the first things I did as President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South was conduct a 360-degree evaluation of how we approached safety. I remember going into my first board meeting with a laundry list of items - from staff interactions with youth to building security to social-emotional emergencies - and said, "we need to fix these now."
In the last five to eight years, Im' proud to say we've invested half a million dollars in safety improvements, from video cameras and visitor DI scanners to crisis communication apps and active shooter training. We have a mantra of sorts here: you can never be prepared enough!
Why is youth safety personally important to you?
As a dad of two, what motivates me to get up and make a difference every day is my children. I want to lead a Boys & Girls Club that l'd be comfortable sending my own children to and provide the same level of
safety and security that ld' expect from their public school or afterschool activities.
Hover for more
I also believe safety should not be determined by income - youth in our Clubs should have the same access to safety that their peers do in the wealthiest communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
That's why one of the first things I did as President & CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South was conduct a 360-degree evaluation of how we approached safety. I remember going into my first board meeting with a laundry list of items - from staff interactions with youth to building security to social-emotional emergencies - and said, "we need to fix these now."
In the last five to eight years, Im' proud to say we've invested half a million dollars in safety improvements, from video cameras and visitor DI scanners to crisis communication apps and active shooter training. We have a mantra of sorts here: you can never be prepared enough!
How does your Club use the WAVE Drowning Prevention System?
Club kids in our pools wear headbands that notify lifeguards if a child is underwater for too long so they can act immediately.
While the system will never replace lifeguards, it does create a safer pool environment where they can be more successful in their jobs.
Hover for more
Swimming is like driving a car or putting your seatbelt on, it's a life skill we all need. But the reality is that the kids our Clubs serve don't always know how to swim.
I'm proud to say that we are the Boys and Girls Club in Massachusetts to implement the WAVE system, and it' been a real game changer for our Club.
How did you get lifeguards and Club kids to adopt the WAVE Systems?
Clubs still hire teenagers today to be lifeguards and expect them to make adult decisions to care for kids in a swimming pool, which is one of the most challenging environments to do that job in.
So, if I can give my lifeguards a tool to do their job more effectively, then that's what a leader does.
Hover for more
I actually started my career as a lifeguard at the Boys &Girls Club of Pawtucket in Rhode Island. Jim Hoyt, who is still the CEO there, was my mentor and really helped escalate me to my career today.
By instituting the WAVE system, we've noticed lifeguards being more attentive. They challenge one another to make sure the alarm on their wrist doesn't go off in their area.
The biggest resistance I got from my team was, "oh, the kids are going to hate having to wear the headbands in the pool." I said, I" think I can prove you wrong" and we did because today's kids LOVE technology. They not only wear the headbands but challenge one another to ensure the alarm never goes off. So, the byproduct is a safer pool environment where our lifeguards are most successful in doing their job, and I get to go home feeling a little bit better that our pools are safe.
How did you work with your board and directors to finance Club safety?
I am a firm believer that today's funders put their dollars behind organizations that can not only
talk the talk but walk the walk.
Of course, we want kids in Clubs to have the best
computers, the best equipment in STEM labs and in the gym.
But if we don't invest in our
facilities and infrastructure, none of that matters.
Hover for more
I remember walking into our boardroom and saying, "Look, I just came back from a conference and was introduced to this WAVE product. I want this for our swimming pools and it's going to cost us $10,000." and we had a board champion say, "We'll find the money and make it happen."
It's that kind of commitment from our board that allows us to make things happen. And as
far as l'm concerned, the reward far outweighs the investment. If I can provide my staff and members with one more layer of protection, then I'm doing my job as the leader of this organization.
Any advice for new Club CEO's on how to approach Club safety?
Clubs care for our young people in the same ways that we want our own kids ot be cared for. There's no way to ensure that you will never have an incident, injury, accident, etc in your Club.
But what we all can
do is ensure that we're being as proactive
as possible.
Because when kids are safe, that's when their Club Experience can really
begin."
Hover for more
If I was a new Club CEO today, l'd ask myself, "How can I ensure my reputation promotes safety?" So many people take that for granted. But fi something goes wrong, you're the first to be blamed and the first to be out the door. So, you've got to approach safety first.|
Analyze the financial health and safety of your organization, because fi you don't have one without the other, you put youth at risk. Perform evaluations to check If you're doing everything in your
power to keep kids safe - whether that's installing security cameras or providing good supervision on playgrounds, buses, even in restrooms.