The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson

Save the date for The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™! On Thursday, June 23, The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) will take place over the course of 24 hours at host locations across the world. Lakeside’s event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Grindley Aquatic & Wellness Campus Pool. All are invited to attend.

This event serves as a platform to help fight childhood drowning by building awareness about the fundamental importance of teaching children to swim.

Drowning is fast, silent and preventable. The WLSL program works to raise awareness of the risks involved with water, the importance of teaching young children water safety and swimming skills, and the crucial need for guardian vigilance at all times when supervising children in and around water.

Lakeside Chautauqua is joining TEAM WLSL™ in their mission to spread the message Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ to millions of kids and adults to help prevent drowning.

About The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™

Since its inception, more than 332,000 children and adults have participated in lifesaving WLSL lessons, generating more than two billion media impressions about the vital importance of learning to swim. Learn more about this phenomenal program by visiting WLSL.org.

The problem is real: Per the CDC, drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for U.S. children ages 1-4, the second leading cause for children under 14, and the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for all ages in the U.S. Drowning is an even greater threat in other countries around the world. According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.

Swimming lessons make a difference: Participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children ages 1-4 by up to 88%.

Many lack basic swimming skills: According to a 2020 research study by the American Red Cross, more than half (54%) of kids ages 4-17 cannot perform the basic water safety skills they need to save their life.

Parental 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%) indicate they remain within arms’ reach of their child in the water.

Males & minorities are at the most risk: According to the CDC, nearly 80% of people who die from drowning are male. In addition, Black children ages 5-19 drown in swimming pools at rates 5.5 times higher than those of whites. This disparity is greatest among those 11-12 years of age, where Black children drown in swimming pools at rates 10 times those of whites.