May 15, 2012, marked the Inaugural International Water Safety Day prompting the United States House of Representative via H.RES.658 to formally acknowledge that water safety education should be included in primary and secondary schools. The day was celebrated with water safety tips and lessons by life guards, teachers and swimmers from around the world, including Olympic Great Anthony Ervin and the Michael Phelps Foundation, all striving to make a planet that’s 70 percent water, 100 percent water safe.

This important congressional resolution brings annual in-classroom water safety education on May 15th a step closer for schools across the nation. It also strengthens the critical advocacy work conducted by the water safety community.

Read the full resolution via the Library of Congress: (H.RES.658)

2000 Olympian and International Water Safety Day Spokesperson Anthony Ervin made a recent visit to Boston, MA. Ervin took time out of his day to talk to us about the importance of water safety and his upcoming meet schedule.

Anthony Ervin being announced at the Austin Grand Prix. (Photo Credit: Mike Comer - Pro Swim Visuals)

Anthony Ervin, US Olympic Swimming Gold Medalist, former World Record Holder & World Champion has become an official spokesperson for International Water Safety Day (IWSD).

After winning the Olympic Gold, 2 World Championships, and 7 NCAA titles, Ervin retired at the young age of 22. A true humanitarian, Anthony auctioned off his Olympic Gold Medal on E-Bay donating the proceeds to tsunami relief efforts in Southeast Asia. Recently, in his first USA Swim meet in 7 years, he won gold at the Chesapeake Pro-Am and immediately put himself back in the US top 5.

With over 30,000 drowning deaths monthly, the lack of water safety education has propelled drowning to the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. International Water Safety Day is designed to educate youth in becoming safer in and around the water while spreading global awareness about the ongoing drowning pandemic.

Shaun Anderson, co-organizer of IWSD, stated, “Anthony has embraced his place in the world as an opportunity to reach out and try to give back, and within that spirit we’re excited to have him aboard.”

International Water Safety Day, hopes to reach millions this spring. What’s your reach? Help calculate the impact of International Water Safety Day by sharing your plans for May 15th at: http://internationalwatersafetyday.org/whats-your-reach/

International Water Safety Day is May 15, 2012 – Striving to make a planet that’s 70 percent water, 100 percent water safe

Shaun Anderson and Jayson Jackson continue to do tremendous good in this world. Their latest project, International Water Safety Day, is on May 15, 2012 and is meant to raise awareness of the drowning pandemic to the public.

International Water Safety Day is an initiative by Diversity in Aquatics to to help reduce drowning worldwide. International Water Safety Day is a day designed to educate youth becoming safe in the water while spreading global awareness about the ongoing drowning pandemic.

With over 1,000 deaths daily, the lack of water safety education has propelled drowning to the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide.Diversity in Aquatics is lobbying the global community to push for swimming lessons in schools.

Diversity in Aquatics is first embarking on its mission by promoting and organizing individuals including aquatic professionals, competitive swimmers, coaches, master swimmers, scuba divers, water polo players, recreational swimmers and boaters to hold a water safety event or give a water safety classroom lesson on May 15th, 2012.

Its longer term goal is to leverage this awareness to get water safety lessons included in grade school health classes.

In our travels around the world, we have seen this success and long-term societal benefits from communities ranging from Seal Beach, California to nearly every elementary school in Japan. These communities and their grass roots efforts have proven the long-term merit of having a populace that can swim.

We know that engaging minority groups in aquatics programs is a national issue, but how can we help reduce the drowning and water-related injury statistics among these groups?

I’ll bet some managers wonder if smaller-scale efforts such as program open houses, community meetings or water safety classes and events really make a difference in capturing this challenging audience. Well, we will never know if we don’t try.

Recently, our department secured the approval and commitment from our local public school system to implement a pilot learn-to-swim and water safety program with second graders from five elementary schools in minority-based neighborhoods within Prince George’s County. Though we are unable to reach every second-grade student in the county, we recognize that we are “swimming in the right direction” to incorporate necessary water safety information into the regular school day of the more than 300 participating students.

The goal of this smaller pilot program is to set the stage for a larger initiative to incorporate swimming and water-safety information into the regular education curriculum throughout the county.

That’s an example of a smaller, local initiative, but let’s talk about our international Web-based leaders in the “diversity movement”: Shaun Anderson and Jayson Jackson, co-founders of the Diversity in Aquatics Program. DAP is a nonprofit organization with the goal of decreasing the rate of drowning worldwide by helping to create, promote and support aquatics programs domestically and internationally.

In speaking with Shaun and Jayson, I was really impressed with their acknowledgement of the significant impact politics play in defeating, in their words, the “pandemic” facing minorities, and their lack of skill and experience in and around water. This is a significant issue in minority communities, and one way to ensure proper support, funding and resources to combat it is to keep this issue in the forefront of our nation’s policy and decision-making agendas. And they are doing just that.

In March 2011, Shaun Anderson was recognized in the House of Representatives by Congressman Chaka Fattah of Pennsylvania for his work with the Diversity in Aquatics Program as well as his work as a USA Swimming diversity consultant. DAP is truly setting a wonderful example for how we, as aquatics professionals, also can serve as advocates for this mission to promote swimming among minority groups.

One of DAP’s upcoming initiatives includes the promotion of International Water Safety Day on May 15, 2012. This inaugural event will serve as the launching pad for an international water safety call to action.

The initiative simply asks industry professionals, community leaders and groups, schools and the like to host a water safety event or to teach a classroom water safety class on that day in 2012. These examples are easy ways to become involved in this international event — all while promoting the overarching theme of safer aquatic experiences for the community, especially minorities. For more information on the International Water Safety Day program, visit internationalwatersafetyday.org.

So, what will be your community’s call to action? And if it is not your own community where there is a need for minority outreach in aquatics, then what will be the call to action to reach out to your neighboring communities in need? Even the smallest of efforts to combat this issue can go a long way. Remember this as you enjoy your next swim. Improving minority participation in aquatics is not just an urban issue — it’s a national issue.

As aquatics professionals, we have the power and resources to reduce these statistics. One lap at a time!

What is it?
International Water Safety Day (IWSD) is a day designed to educate youth in becoming safer in and around the water while spreading global awareness about the ongoing drowning pandemic.

With over 30,000 deaths monthly, the lack of water safety education has propelled drowning to the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide. As a result of our many interactions through Diversity in Aquatics, we continue to hear a common thread in what people believe would help curve these statistics: mandated swimming lessons in school curriculums. While mandating school based swim lessons seems to be a daunting task, we will strive to do so with your help.

The Plan:
We are embarking on a two step awareness base plan toward increasing support.

Step One – International Water Safety Day

For International Water Safety Day we are calling on everyone from aquatic professionals, competitive swimmers, coaches, master swimmers, scuba divers, water polo players, recreational swimmers, boaters and everyone in between to reach out to their communities on this day by either holding a water safety event or giving a water safety classroom lesson. The May 15, 2012 date falls on a week day so that individuals can easily go to a local school to help deliver this message. We do realize that many of you already do this, and we thank you. Our hope is that everyone participating on the same day will amplify our voice.

Step Two – Health Class Curriculum

Step two of the plan will be using this awareness to get water safety lessons mandated into grade school health classes. This is not physical education class, not a swim lesson, and not necessarily taught at a pool. This is a health lesson, a safety lesson, a life lesson taught in the classroom.

From this awareness phase base, we will begin our journey to expand swim lessons into grade schools around the world.

So please mark your calendars for next year May 15, 2012.