AusLeisure

Tens of thousands of participants at more than 600 locations in 27 countries, from Australia to Zimbabwe, Bahrain to Brazil, and Panama to Poland, came together on Thursday 22nd June for the eighth annual World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL).

Coinciding with the start of the northern hemisphere summer swimming season, the event helped spread an important safety message in their communities, that Swimming Lessons Save Lives™.

WLSL provided children and parents exposure to life-saving water safety skills while building awareness about the vital importance of learning to swim and parental vigilance to help prevent drowning.

Three-time Olympic Gold medallist and WLSL Ambassador Rowdy Gaines explained “seeing so many kids from so many different cultures, all focused on this same mission is really inspiring.

“The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ is a perfect way to engage with the community and help people understand how crucially important it is to learn how to float, roll-over, recover your breath and swim to an exit to prevent drowning.”

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates drowning is one of the top five causes of death for children under 14 years in 48 of the 85 countries it monitors.

In 2014, the American Red Cross, one of many WLSL supporting organisations, found more than half of Americans (54%) either can’t swim or don’t have foundational swimming skills.

The WLSL is working to change that.

Since its inception in 2010, almost 200,000 children and adults have participated in WLSL lessons, and organizers have shared the importance of swim lessons more than half a billion times. By 2019, organizers hope to make more than one billion people fully aware of the importance of enrolling children in swim lessons.

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was created by the World Waterpark Association.

In 2018, WLSL will take place on 21st June.

For more information, go to www.wlsl.org

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2nd December 2016 - VICTORIAN SCHOOLS TO BE REQUIRED TO MAKE SURE ALL PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN SWIM 

14th September 2016 - 2016 WORLD’S LARGEST SWIMMING LESSON BREAKS RECORDS 

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