Swim to Survive Day high profile community outreach

“This event will provide hundreds of children, youth and adults with some basic awareness and lifesaving skills that will someday save a life, their own or that of a loved one. The Lifesaving Society’s objective is to prevent drownings and Swim to Survive training will certainly help to decrease the number of water-related tragedies in BC,”

-Dale Miller, Executive Director of the BC & Yukon branch, Lifesaving Society in the initial Swim to Survive Day Vancouver 2016 press release.

Swim to Survive Day is a partnership to promote drowning prevention and to highlight the vulnerability of children. A united effort to educate and empower children by their city, the Lifesaving Society, and the Lifeguard Outreach Society.

A Swim to Survive Day Event.

Swim to Survive Day can be a one or multiple day event. Each day 500 to 1000 youth can participate in one of the free 2 hour long Swim to Survive lessons that run throughout the day at an urban swimming pool. Participants register for one of the three Swim to Survive sessions with a maximum capacity of 330 swimmers per group. The Lifeguard Outreach Society's online Swim to Survive Day registration system sorts each participant into a group based on their age and swimming ability. Each group is between 20 and 40 swimmers who will rotate through a series of stations that focus on the Swim to Survive skills and knowledge topics. Instructors roles are to lead stations, instruct at stations, or to lead the groups of children from station to station. Instructors are deployed based on risk and nature of each station. Roughly 25 - 50 instructors are needed. Children leave with a Swim to Survive Day certificate. There is a large media presence throughout the day due to the magnitude of the event and the nature of the free swimming survival lessons.

Planning for a Swim to Survive Day

In the months and weeks leading up to the event the host city, Lifesaving Society branch, and Lifeguard Outreach Society plan and organize the Swim to Survive Day event. Each city is unique, the three partners determine the scope of the event and what each partner will participate to support the event. There are minimum rolls each party will need to cover but the Lifeguard Outreach Society will take on any additional work. We are excited to engage the Lifesaving Society branch as much as possible to maximize impact.

The Host City:

-Donate adequate pool space and the necessary infrastructure for the event as a pool rental.

-Send out a press release through the aquatics and communication departments to begin to promote the event.

-Help Lifeguard Outreach connect with potential volunteers.

The Lifesaving Society

-Work with the Lifeguard Outreach society to network the local aquatics community for volunteers who would be interested in being involved in a high profile event.

-Be present on the day to promote the Lifesaving Society and Swim to Survive message to media and to be the Society liaison branch volunteers who are not in the water teaching.

-Work with the host city's communication department to ensure the Swim to Survive message is presented on social media and through traditional media to maximize the impact of the event.

The Lifeguard Outreach Society

-Sends a team to coordinate the event. This team will run deck movement, volunteer training, capture media through camera, video, and drone footage to be shared with all partners.

-Plan out deck movement, station location and function based on host city parameters, pool space limitation, and enact any adaption needed to meet the scope of the event.

-Provide all partners the link to online registration. Our system will sort each participant into the right session and into the right group on the day.

-Connect and intake all instructor volunteers to then be organized into leaders of stations and groups of children. .

-Cover all basis that have not been mentioned in this document or taken on by the host or Society.

-Provides insurance coverage for all instructors and participants. Waivers and media releases for all participants.

The Lifeguard Outreach Society's Vision

The Lifeguard Outreach Society's mission is to teach swimming survival and lifesaving skills to isolated communities as well as highlight the vulnerability of children to the dangers of drowning. As Canadians head out each summer to enjoy the lakes, rivers, and oceans at home or across the country we want every child to be able to survive an unexpected fall into open water. The Lifeguard Outreach Society is a partner in Swim to Survive Day where our volunteers teach swimming survival, reach isolated urban communities, and through wide media coverage are able to spread the message of Swim to Survive across all media channels. Beyond preventing drownings, empowering youth, and building community we hope the Lifeguard Outreach Society's impact as a partner for Swim to Survive Day will to engage lifeguards to realize the real impact they have on public health in Canada.

We believe in the Lifesaving Society's mission to prevent drownings and in the Swim to Survive program. As a proud affiliate of the Lifesaving Society we are excited to partner with the provincial branches for Swim to Survive Day to promote the Society and its mission. The Swim to Survive Day event promotes the Lifesaving Society brand, provides new levels of marketing and exposure, and engages an entire city directly and indirectly to participate in drowning prevention. Host cities, who are also Lifesaving Society affiliates, are able to engage with the community and leverage the event for marketing and social media exposure.

Swim to Survive Day teaches swimming survival and lifesaving skills, are public education opportunities, and bring a city together over a leading cause of preventable death.

2015 Swim to Survive Day Proof of Concept

The first Swim to Survive Day took place in Kamloops BC in 2015 as a prototype for a much larger visions. The Lifeguard Outreach Society taught 60 swimmers in stations in a large backyard swimming pool and a tennis court. We taught children how to roll tread and swim along with lifesaving skills.

2015 Proof of Concept for Swim to Survive Day

2016 Swim to Survive Day Vancouver

The Lifeguard Outreach Society and the Lifesaving Society BC Yukon Branch worked to develop the concept of the event. Both organizations planned and pitched Swim to Survive Day Vancouver to the Vancouver Park Board. Together the three organizations hosted the first high profile Swim to Survive Day in July 2016. It took 45 instructors, event volunteers, and coordinators to operate the event. There were 25 in water volunteer instructors, and 15 non instructor volunteers and the rest were Lifeguard Outreach Society and Lifesaving Society staff. We taught 600 swimmers and we're covered by every media channel in the city. Here are some examples of media coverage and social media exposure.

2016 Swim to Survive Day Vancouver

2017 Swim To Survive Days

May 26th Swim to Survive Day Clayoquot Sound

Lifeguard Outreach Society and Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon Branch will be working with the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation to run a Swim to Survive Day on the site of the old residential school as a reconciliation event. We will reach 200 children and add cultural adaptations such as completing the S2S standard from a traditional dugout canoe. This event is an example of how the event can be adapted to meet community priorities.

May 28th Swim to Survive Day Victoria

Lifeguard Outreach Society, Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon, will partner with the District of Saanich to teach 1000 youth at the Commonwealth Games Pool.

June 1st and 2nd Swim to Survive Day Kamloops

Lifeguard Outreach Society, Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon, will partner with the City of Kamloops to teach 2000 youth at the Canada Games Pool over two days.

June 4th Swim to Survive Day Kelowna

Lifeguard Outreach Society, Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon, will partner with the Okanagan Nation Alliance and the City of Kelowna to teach 500 to 1000 youth.

June 9th, 10th, and 11th Swim to Survive Day Vancouver

Lifeguard Outreach Society, Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon, will partner with the City to teach 3000 youth at three different community pools in Vancouver.

June 14th Swim to Survive Day Prince George

Lifeguard Outreach Society, Lifesaving Society BC & Yukon, will partner with the City of Prince George to teach 1000 youth Swim to Survive.

We would like to continue from Prince George and head to Edmonton to partner with the Alberta Lifesaving Society to bring Swim to Survive Day to Alberta in the middle of June. We hope to work together to run Swim to Survive Day Edmonton and Calgary.

Thank you.

Made with Adobe Slate

Make your words and images move.

Get Slate

Report Abuse

If you feel that this video content violates the Adobe Terms of Use, you may report this content by filling out this quick form.

To report a Copyright Violation, please follow Section 17 in the Terms of Use.