Numerous children drown every year in Germany because they have never learnt how to swim. Swimming has been removed from the timetables in many schools and more and more parents cannot afford to sign their children up to a swimming course. This means that the young generation today is not learning the movements in water necessary for survival.
Along with the town of Heidelberg, our patroness Franziska van Almsick brought a project to life at the start of the school year 2008/2009 to ensure children are safe in the water from an early age. Pupils at primary schools in Heidelberg will receive swimming lessons in the town’s swimming pools
Aim:Every child is expected to have completely mastered one swimming style (backstroke, freestyle, dolphin crawl or breaststroke) by the end of primary school with the help of trained coaches and teachers. Franziska van Almsick, former competitive swimmer and young mother, is ensuring that the swimming lessons are optimally customised to the children’s needs and motor abilities in this. She puts particular emphasis on technique here.
“With the right technique, children can react more calmly and save more energy in dangerous situations. This is why swimming properly can save lives.”
Much has been done since the project started:
- 20 primary schools in Heidelberg are now taking part in the project
- 40 teachers have already received appropriate training.
- 13 teaching assistants (students studying swimming) are teaching for 44 school hours a week.
- 660 children are receiving free swimming lessons every week
Discussions with other German authorities about introducing free swimming lessons are currently taking place.
The Sky Foundation supports “ Heidelberger Kids auf Schwimmkurs“ and aims for the Heidelberg project to be implemented in as many towns and communities as possible in Germany.
Franziska van Almsick has written a children’s book about learning swimming. The story of Paul Plantschnase will help children not to be afraid of water and at the same time, give them the impetus to learn how to swim properly. It is published by the Herder publishers, to find out more go to
http://www.kerle.de/. Proceeds from the book sales are going to the project “Heidelberger Kids auf Schwimmkurs”
