Hundreds of Locations Around the Globe are Teaming Up on June 22nd for the World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ to Help Prevent Childhood Drowning.

#Learn2SwimChat scheduled for Wednesday, 6/21 at 1 PM ET

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Jun 14, 2017, 08:26 ET

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 600 locations in 44 states in the US and 23 countries around the globe have registered for the 8th Annual World's Largest Swimming Lesson (WLSL) taking place Thursday, 6/22. Organizers are kicking off the event on Wednesday, 6/21 with a #Learn2SwimChat on Twitter at 1 PM ET. The real-time hashtag conversation, co-hosted by Team WLSL (@TheWLSL), Safe Kids Worldwide and the American Red Cross, will celebrate the first day of summer by sharing important learn-to-swim tips and common, sometimes deadly, parental misperceptions about water safety.

Kids of all ages will participate in the 8th Annual World's Largest Swimming Lesson taking place at hundreds of locations around the globe on Thursday, June 22nd. Organizers are kicking off the event with a #Learn2SwimChat on Twitter on the June 21st at 1PM ET to celebrate the first day of summer.

The purpose of the events? Provide kids and parents exposure to life-saving water safety skills and build awareness about the vital importance of learning to swim to help prevent drowning.

Tragically, drowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for kids ages 1-4 and the second leading cause for kids under the age of 14, due in large part, to lack of adult supervision and misperceptions about the necessary, basic swimming skills needed for water safety.

Thanks to the unified voices of thousands of participating pools, swim schools, waterparks and dozens of supporting organizations, WLSL's Swimming Lessons Save Lives™ message has been seen or heard more than half a billion times since it first began in 2010. And, it's making a difference.

Research recently released from WLSL supporting organizations, CPSC's Pool Safely Campaign and USA Swimming Foundation, which also initiated water safety awareness programs in 2010, indicate a decrease in childhood drownings and an increase in swimming skills.

The CPSC's Pool Safely campaign showed a 17 percent decrease in fatal drownings in pools among children younger than five since 2010. And, the USA Swimming Foundation study found a 5-10 percent improvement in overall swimming ability from its previous findings. But, more work is needed.

In 2014, the American Red Cross, another WLSL supporter, found more than half of Americans (54 percent) either can't swim or don't have foundational swimming skills.

Families interested in participating in the global lesson can find participating locations at http://www.wlsl.org/WLSL/Locations.aspx

The World's Largest Swimming Lesson™ was created by the World Waterpark Association. Since its inception in 2010, more than 195,000 children and adults have participated in WLSL lessons. Visit www.wlsl.org to learn more.

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

SOURCE World's Largest Swimming Lesson