By Ramani Regis, Community Engagement Coordinator

Community engagement, at its best, is not a box to be ticked or a calendar to be filled. It is relational, intentional and deeply human. 

As the Community Engagement Coordinator for the six Belgravia Leisure managed City of Sydney venues, my role often transcends traditional community engagement and becomes a responsibility that is profound in ways that are hard to fully capture. Put simply, the programs I have the privilege to design can be genuinely life-changing for the people who participate in them. 

Sydney is home to culturally rich, diverse and socially complex populations, and across our venues we engage with up to 18 different targeted community audiences, from First Nations, LGBTIQA+, women, CALD, seniors to international students and more. Each brings unique experiences, needs and barriers to participation. 

Our goal is to ensure our leisure centres are not just places people visit, but places where they feel they belong. Through inclusive programming across our leisure venues, we work to strengthen community wellbeing by creating safe, welcoming spaces for individuals that might otherwise be overlooked. 

I’m proud, if not a little humbled, to confirm that over the 2024/25 financial year, I co-designed and oversaw the delivery of 34 distinct programs for marginalised groups, contributing to a total of more than 300,000 across our targeted community groups. But it takes a village, and this achievement is truly a testament to the dedication of the passionate teams around me to bring these programs to life in meaningful ways.  

Equally critical is how these programs are created. They are not developed for communities, but with them. Every initiative is co-designed alongside local partners and community members, ensuring it responds to genuine needs and reflects lived experience. Each of the six pools we operate serves a distinct local demographic, and it is this local knowledge, particularly around cultural safety and relevance, that allows programs to resonate in ways we could never achieve alone. 

A taste of the City of Sydney community programs and partnerships making a difference: 

• At Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre (ITAC), we partnered with local community centres and Diabetes Australia to deliver healthy living workshops in both Mandarin and Cantonese, removing language barriers and ensuring vital health information was accessible and culturally appropriate. Delivered twice across two years, the group of over 60 attendees were thrilled to learn more around healthy living and to be able to ask questions in a safe space in their own language.  

• In preparation for our Biannual Trans and Gender Diverse event, we established an advisory committee comprised of members of the trans community, including representatives from Trans Pride Australia. This committee shaped the entire event to ensure it truly reflected the community’s needs and aspirations.  

The event featured Trans entertainers Woody the Trans King and Emma Bastable, a Trans DJ alongside our popular BBQ, including a vegan offering supplied by Suzy Spoons, The Vegan Butcher. We hosted a strength-based educational workshop in the gym, kids and adult Learn to Swim classes, an Aqua class, and a Breathwork session delivered by Dhinawan Yarn a First Nation Dance Troupe. The Inner-City Legal Centre and Get Strapt also offered popup activations providing advice and information. The result: 354 registered participants and a powerful sense of visibility, safety and celebration. 

• Our partnership with the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE) is the result of sustained relationship-building grounded in trust and mutual respect. While our venues operate as aquatic and fitness centres, NCIE is a grassroots community-based organisation with deep cultural knowledge of First Nations communities in Redfern and surrounding suburbs. Their insight has been invaluable in supporting meaningful engagement with First Nations community members, particularly around Victoria Park Pool. 

Most recently, NCIE leaders facilitated an informal Q&A session for lifeguards, senior customer officers and management — replacing traditional cultural awareness training with an open, honest yarn. This approach created space for team members to ask the “tricky” questions they rarely have the opportunity to raise, and the learning was profound. We plan to roll out a series of these sessions throughout the year. 

• The Ukrainian Aqua Women group provides social connection and supports the health and wellbeing of Ukrainian women through weekly participation. We now welcome 15 women each week, with the program recently winning the Belgravia Community Program of the Year 2025, a testament to the collective effort behind it. Our instructor, Reke, also received an award – although not Ukrainian herself, her Eastern European background means she deeply understands the experience of displacement felt by the women.  

We’ve also launched the Ukrainian Learn to Swim program, which offers classes for both adults and children, focusing on water safety and stroke correction. Yula, a Ukrainian born aqua lady who found peace after the war in Sydney put her experience into words when asked what being a part of this community group meant to her: 

“It means the world. Truly. It’s more than just exercise – it’s healing, it’s friendship, it’s  laughter, and a sense of belonging I didn’t expect to find so far from home. Every session is  like a small celebration of life, and we cheer each other on through every movement. 

“This program has also made me feel more at home in my body and more confident walking  through the world. It’s given me routine, purpose and connection – things that are  priceless when you’re starting over. The friendships I’ve found have been one of the greatest  gifts. We share stories, smiles, and sometimes snacks after class. These friendships are real,  warm, and remind me that kindness and connection speak every language.” 

• Working alongside community partners Weave and The Settlement – a trusted, free community service for over 130 years – we also provide First Nations Learn to Swim programs for kids at both Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre and Cook + Phillip Park Pool. 

These learn to swim lessons address long-standing inequities in access to aquatic education and water safety for families from complex backgrounds, often facing significant economic barriers who would otherwise not be able to participate.  

With 30 children currently enrolled – 95% of which identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander – I’m proud to say this program offers a culturally safe and welcoming environment where they can learn, grow and feel proud of who they are. We also worked with Speedo to donate swimwear and goggles to combat any barriers the children face in accessing appropriate swimwear.  

Together, these programs demonstrate what is possible when engagement is intentional, collaborative and grounded in respect. When leisure centres move beyond transactions and truly invest in relationships, they become far more than facilities – they become vibrant hubs of belonging, where every identity is seen, valued and welcomed, ensuring no one misses out.

• Explore Belgravia Leisure’s career opportunities.
• Learn more about Belgravia Leisure’s people.