Lake Buena Vista, Florida (IAAPA NEWS) - Under the watchful eye of “Miss Tilly”—the famed tugboat precariously perched atop Mount Mayday—hundreds of Florida schoolchildren gathered Thursday morning at Typhoon Lagoon.
They didn’t flock to the Walt Disney World water park just to have fun, rather to join the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, as participating attractions worldwide spread water safety awareness at the start of summer.
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson began in 2010, an initative of World Water Park Association. The annual tradition includes water parks, public pools, and swim schools. The event teaches water safety with the goal of preventing drownings, the leading cause of death of U.S. children ages 1-4.
“They're going to be jumping into the pool here at Typhoon Lagoon with our Disney lifeguards learning important drowning prevention strategies, and basic swim strategies, so that they can develop those skill sets to become more confident around water, but also with safety being the number one priority,” shares Tajiana Ancora Brown, director of external affairs at Walt Disney World.
Disney partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida, which is one of the largest Boys and Girls Clubs in the United States. The central Florida chapter serves almost 16,000 children across five counties. More than 400 children joined the swimming lesson at Typhoon Lagoon.
“Many of [them] have No. 1, never been to a water park. And No. 2, have never actually been to a swim lesson before and don't know how to swim,” explains Jamie Merril, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida. “Living in the state of Florida—being surrounded by water—it's a critical skill that they need. So, Disney provides them that opportunity, while also [allowing them to have] fun in a water park.”
The morning at Typhoon Lagoon began with stretching exercises, hosted by characters such as Chip and Dale and Goofy. Next, lifeguards led students into the water park’s Surf Pool and began teaching the basics, like blowing bubbles, kicking, and paddling.
As an attraction, Disney’s partnership with community organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida, transforms a safety focus into an actionable practice in real life.
“We focus on instilling in all of our life lessons things that are going to make them great adults in the future, and being in Florida, making sure that they understand water safety is a critical function to that,” Merril says. “We do that on our own, but having partners that come alongside us to invest in our youth in the same fashion, it gives them the opportunity to really learn what they need to learn, so that when they are near water, they know how to operate.”
Also participating, Olympic gold medalist swimmer Simone Manuel, who believes in the importance of the attractions industry to highlight water safety around the world.
“I think it's really important as you start summer to really put out information about the possibility of providing swim lessons or resources because in the summer, everybody's looking to cool, cool off and have a fun time,” Manuel tells IAAPA News.
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson provides operators with a way to create public good in their community.
“Attractions bring people in, but [it shows] that they’re investing in our community to lift up the community around us,” Merrill says. “What it does is it shows children how important they are to all of the individuals in the community, the businesses, and then they grow up to be flourishing adults and have jobs that often are in those theme parks that they can turn around and pour back into their community as well.”
