Sink or Swim
UTS Impact Studios
Angelica lives in Sydney, where sparkling beaches and aqua blue public pools are the backdrop to a swimming-crazy culture. But this image doesn't fit Angelica's reality. She never learned to swim as a child. She lives in a part of town that the cool sea breeze doesn’t reach and where swimming spots can be hard to find. In Sink or Swim, Angelica faces her fear of the water and the ever rising heat. Join her as she discovers why learning to swim in Sydney’s west opens the lid on what it means to live together in a warming world...
It’s getting hot in here
In our final episode, we look to the future and explore how we can survive the hotter summers that lie ahead for all of us. Blacktown is facing increasingly extreme urban heat, but locals are coming up with their own solutions. We visit two cool refuges where we discover ordinary citizens and local leaders who are shaping the communities they want in the places where they live. You’ll hear from Maryam Zahid, a community leader creating spaces for newly arrived women to learn skills like swimmi
Oct 2, 2024 • 25:55
If you think, you drink!
Angelica has decided: this is the summer she finally takes the plunge. Go with her as she joins an adult swim class for beginners, and realises that there are plenty of other adults who share both her trepidation and her determination. Angelica’s home of Western Sydney is heating up faster than nearly anywhere else, making swimming an essential survival skill – not just for staying afloat, but for staying cool. She talks to local doctor Kim Loo to learn what extreme heat can do to the human bo
Sep 25, 2024 • 26:38
Taking the plunge
It’s the start of another scorching hot summer and Angelica is looking for relief. She longs to dive into some cooling water, but there’s one problem... Angelica can't swim. Join our host as she examines what it means to be a non-swimmer in a nation that prides itself on its prowess in the pool, and what stood in her way as a young girl growing up in Sydney’s west. You’ll join Angelica as she mingles with the crowd at a pool party in Mt Druitt, hear from writer Sarah Malik about her own hard-w
Sep 18, 2024 • 26:44
Introducing Sink or Swim
I'm Angelica Ojinnaka-Psillakis. I'm a public health and social researcher, a young carer, a youth leader, a second-generation migrant and a proud Igbo woman. I’m 26 years old and until last summer, I couldn’t swim. This three-part podcast follows my journey learning how to swim over one scorching summer in Western Sydney. I’ve lived in Blacktown City for almost all my life. It's starting to feel like each summer is hotter than the last. Dive in with me and you'll hear from my community, an
Sep 3, 2024 • 2:15