WSYMCA Hosting World's Largest Swimming Lesson on June 20th

Jun 07, 2019

The World’s Largest Swim Lesson in 24 Hours Sends the Message Swimming Lessons Save Lives to billions around the globe.

West Suburban YMCA Serving as an Official Host Location.

On Thursday, June 20th, 2019, tens of thousands of kids and adults at aquatic facilities around the world will unite for the 10th year in a row to make noise that Swimming Lessons Save Lives.™ A global event, The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson™ (WLSL), will take place over the course of 24 hours at an estimated 600 locations in more than 20 countries.

Tragically, in the U.S. drowning remains the leading cause of unintended, injury related death for children ages 1-4, and the second leading cause of accidental death for children under 14. Research shows participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children aged 1 to 4, yet many kids do not receive formal swimming or water safety training.

Last month, the West Suburban YMCA hosted a Water Safety Open House and welcomed close to 50 local families for free swim lessons and water safety resources. The West Suburban YMCA will continue their commitment to drowning prevention this month and serve as an official host location facility for the WLSL 2019 event. The Y is offering six free swim lesson times throughout the day at 10:00am, 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm. 

As a leading nonprofit committed to youth development, the Y has been a leader in providing swim lessons and water safety for more than a century. The West Suburban YMCA continues to help youth and adults experience the joy and benefits of swimming, so they can be healthy, confident and secure in the water. There are a variety of programs to choose throughout the year, including swim lessons, adaptive swim, family swim, Blue Waves youth swim team, water polo, masters swim team and more. To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate, financial assistance is available to those in need to help cover the costs of paid programs.

To learn more about the West Suburban YMCA’s swim programs, please contact Amanda Pierce at 617-244-6050 ext. 3127 or amandap@wsymca.org.