World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ set for Thursday, June 22, 2017

Organizers Focus on Teaching Foundational Water Safety Skills and Targeting One Billion Life Saving Impressions by 2019

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Mar 27, 2017, 10:17 ET

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2017 World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) will take place Thursday, June 22^nd. Registration is now open at WLSL.org. [http://ctt.ec/bQpCY]

A young swimmer practices opening her eyes underwater during the 2016 World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL). The WLSL event provides more than 20,000 man hours of water safety training in a single day to help teach participants basic water competency skills and educate parents about how to keep kids safer in and around the water. Learn more at WLSL.org.

This will be the eighth year for the global event and organizers have set their sights on a new goal – reaching more than one billion with their message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ by 2019. Local WLSL events occur at hundreds of locations in more than 20 different countries on five continents over the course of 24 hours. The purpose of the event? Provide kids and parents exposure to life-saving water safety skills and build awareness about the vital importance of teaching children to swim to help prevent drowning. Organizers are working to connect the dots between the real risk of childhood drowning and the need for basic water competency skills and crucial parental supervision to keep kids safe in and around the water. Research shows:

The problem is life threatening for children: Per the CDC, drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for U.S. children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause for children under 14; drowning is an even greater threat in other countries around the world.
Many lack basic swimming skills: In 2014, a survey completed by the American Red Cross found more than half of all Americans (54 percent) either can't swim or don't have all of the basic swimming skills.
Parents don't recognize supervision is key: According to a 2016 Safe Kids Worldwide report, despite the fact that lack of supervision played a role in the majority of drowning deaths, less than half of parents (49 percent) indicate they remain within arms' reach of their child in the water.

WLSL events provide more than 20,000 man hours of water safety training in a single day. Aquatic facilities can join Team WLSL for this global, life-saving event by registering as an official 2017 Host Location at www.WLSL.org.

About The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™
The WLSL was created as a platform for the aquatics industry to build awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim to prevent drowning. Since its inception, more than 195,000 children and adults have participated in WLSL lessons generating more than half a billion life-saving media impressions.

Contact: Aleatha Ezra
Email: [email protected]
913-599-0300 x 11

SOURCE World's Largest Swimming Lesson