Swim to Survive®
Many children say that they know how to swim, but can they really swim? Bathing is one thing; being able to swim is quite another!
The Swim to Survive program has been created by the Lifesaving Society to prevent drowning. It has been designed as an educative and active field trip.
In addition to playing a key role in drowning prevention, the program gets the children to move and gain self-confidence, and encourages them to visit aquatic facilities on a more regular basis.
The Swim to Survive program is offered to 8+ year old students (3rd to 6th grade in elementary school).
Watch the video© Alain Lavigne
The Standard
The Swim to Survive Standard allows to assess each child’s aquatic skills and to teach them the basic skills they need to survive an unexpected fall into deep water.
S’orienter à la surface de l’eau après une chute inattendue. Entrée par roulade
Se maintenir à la surface et repérer un lieu sûr. Nage sur place pendant 1 minute
Nager vers un endroit sécuritaire. Nage sur 50 mètres
Why these three aquatic skills?
The three aquatic skills taught through the Swim to Survive program are based on the Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive Canadian Standard which sets the basic skills needed to survive an unexpected fall into deep water. A person able to perform the three basic skills in good conditions (wearing a bathing suit, in warm water) should be able to get to a safe place nearby in less favourable conditions (wearing clothes, in cold water, etc.) if an unexpected fall into deep water happens.
© Alain Lavigne
Eligibility Criteria
The program must be offered to students from 3rd to 6th grade.
Only organizations located in the province of Quebec can request funding. Canadian organizations located outside of Quebec must contact the Lifesaving Society Branch of their region.
Each request can include a maximum of 15 schools. If you need to submit a funding request for more than 15 schools, please fill out more than one request.
Financial Help
To obtain funding:
- Make sure you are eligible for the program.
- Establish a partnership with the aquatic centre or the school in your region.
- Organize the transportation (if needed).
- Get a cost estimation from your partners.
- Fill out the funding request.
Participation Forms
Participation Request – Elementary School Participation Request – Hight SchoolReimbursement Request
How is the amount of the grant to which you are entitled determined?
Following the review of the participation form, the person who submitted the request for financial assistance will be informed of the anticipated amount offered by the Lifesaving Society to fund the aquatic drowning prevention workshops.
The amount of the grant will be determined according to the following criteria:
- Students aged 8 to 14: Funding comes from the Ministry of Education. It will be allocated based on expenses incurred for transportation, pool rental, and the wages of aquatic staff (instructors – lifeguards), up to a maximum of $25 per student.
Please note that upon receipt of supporting documents as well as the students’ evaluation results, the anticipated amount granted by the Lifesaving Society may be adjusted upwards or downwards.
© Alain Lavigne