ISLA Sponsors Junior Lifeguard Scholarship to Provide Educational Opportunity

Feb. 22, 2013 - PRLog -- In 2008, ISLA was founded by four Huntington Beach Lifeguards with the mission to change the grim realities of drowning. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional death worldwide.  In the past four year, ISLA has expanded their programs for drowning prevention to reach areas affected by high drowning rates: Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Macedonia, Mexico, New Zealand, and Nicaragua.

As an initiative to promote water safety, ISLA is providing a scholarship for youths to participate in a junior lifeguard program. The ISLA Junior Lifeguard scholarship is designed to introduce the world of lifeguarding to someone who has dreams of a career in Marine Safety, Oceanography, or Marine Biology and who would benefit from experiencing the educational program.

The award of this scholarship is intended to provide the Junior Lifeguard experience to a child that would normally not participate in such a program, due to his/her location of residence and financial cost. The purpose of this scholarship is to encourage achievement of a stated goal, whether as a lifeguard or in another ocean related field of study.  

To apply for the application, the applicant must be between the ages of nine and seventeen at the time of application, have their parent or legal guardians permission, and submit a one minute video and photo of themselves. To be considered for the 2013 ISLA Junior Lifeguard Scholarship, the multimedia must be submitted to info@islasurf.org by March 22, 2013. For official requirements, please visit http://www.islasurf.org/isla-junior-lifeguard-scholarship-2013/

“Last year we were able to provide two children with full scholarships to participate in the Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguard Program, this year we are hoping to do just as well if not better. As a Junior Lifeguard myself I can honestly say that it is a great experience, and I would not be the person I am today without the HB Junior Guards,” said ISLA's International Junior Lifeguard Coordinator, Tyler Erwin. “Through this scholarship we will be able to share this life changing experience with others who otherwise may not have been able to experience it.”

To learn more about ISLA, please visit http://www.islasurf.org/. To learn more about ISLA on their Facebook page, visit http://www.facebook.com/ISLAsurf.

International Surf Lifesaving Association (ISLA) exists as a California Public Benefit Company 501c(3) which works to reduce drownings worldwide by providing ocean-minded educational programs and resources.