NEWS RELEASE
GUELPH YMCA-YWCA
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Starting today, the Guelph Y is delighted to offer the only program of its kind in the City of Guelph - the Safe Healthy Aquatic Recreation for Kids (SHARKs) program.
This free swimming program is offered to all Grade 3 and 5 students across the city and teaches them invaluable Swim to Survive skills. The Guelph Y is where potential grows.
The Guelph Y SHARKs swim program is the only program of its kind! SHARKs is an annual, free, innovative and exciting swim program provided to all Grade 3 and 5 students in the City of Guelph.
The goal is to have every Grade 8 student in Guelph be able to achieve the Lifesaving Society’s Swim to Survive Standard.
The Lifesaving Society’s curriculum includes recovering from a fall into the water, treading water, and swim to safety techniques which are all necessary for surviving a sudden and unexpected fall into deep water.
The YMCA-YWCA of Guelph has partnered with the City of Guelph and the University of Guelph to bring this program to 41 local public, private and catholic schools, which is 100 percent of the Grade 3 and 5 students in Guelph.
SHARKs has grown from the humble beginnings of six schools and 250 students in 2004, to over 3000 students in 2016.
The program starts today (Tuesday April 26) and runs until the end of June – each class spends three to four sessions in the pool during their specified week of training.
In order to fulfill the reporting requirements for SHARKs funding, the Guelph Y is asking parents or guardians to fill out a survey regarding their child’s participation, both prior to the start of the program (http://ow.ly/10zENl), as well as after their child’s completion of the program (http://ow.ly/10zEXS).
The surveys will each take about five minutes to complete and will help our funders evaluate the effectiveness of the SHARKs program. Once you fill out the survey, you can enter to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.
The YMCA-YWCA of Guelph is dedicated to ensuring the safety of children in Guelph around water, both now and in the future.
We would not be able to offer this opportunity without the support of The Lifesaving Society, The University of Guelph, The City of Guelph, our title sponsor RBC and other local businesses and individuals who have generously donated to help us offset the cost of transportation and staffing for this program.
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