As a leading provider of swim instruction to New Yorkers, New York City's YMCA today is debuting "Teach New York City to Swim," a digital campaign that highlights the importance of swim safety and encourages people to support children's swim lessons throughout all five boroughs. To promote the campaign, the Y partnered with improv comedy troupe The Second City to create two short, humorous videos which remind viewers that swimming is a vital skill to learn, no matter how old you are.
View the videos here:
- Floatie Kid
- Floatation Dude
While the awareness videos are seriously funny, learning to swim is not a laughing matter.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the second-leading cause of death for children under age five and the third-leading cause of accidental death or injury for people of all ages. Learning to swim is a critical ingredient to ensuring safety in and around water, and donations help the Y give children from all backgrounds access to swim instruction. Thanks in part to community support, last year the Y taught more than 60,000 individuals how to swim; approximately 10,000 of these individuals received swim instruction at Y summer camps.
"Teaching children the basics of swim safety is one of the Y's most important responsibilities," said Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of New York City's YMCA. "Campaigns like Teach New York City to Swim help us provide swim lessons to children, regardless of a family's ability to pay."
To help support this life-saving effort, please visit ymcanyc.org/swim. Your tax-deductible gift can help the Y teach more kids to be safe in and around water.
About the YMCA of Greater New York
The YMCA of Greater New York is, and always will be, dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected and secure children, adults, families and communities. With a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y nurtures the potential of every youth and teen, improves New York City's health and well-being and provides opportunities to give back and support neighbors. In scores of neighborhoods across the five boroughs and its camp upstate, the Y makes accessible the support and opportunities that empower more than 500,000 New Yorkers to learn, grow and thrive. Visit ymcanyc.org. Follow us on social media @ymcanyc.
