Thursday marks World’s Largest Swimming Lesson

Since summer is officially here, what better time is there than now to learn how to swim safely?

Thursday marks the eighth annual World's Largest Swimming Lesson. Pools all over the world will be teaching kids and their parents water safety skills and showing how teaching children how to swim can save lives by preventing drowning.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that drowning is the main cause of unintended, injury-related death for children in the United States in the ages of 1-4. It's second for children under the age of 14.

It isn't just children who have difficulty swimming. The American Red Cross says that more than half of Americans can't swim or don't have basic swimming skills.

That's where the World's Largest Swimming Lesson comes in. The event promises to have more than 20,000 hours of water safety training in one day, in 20 countries over the course of 24 hours.

To find a participating location near you, click here.

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