Drowning Awareness Day at the Grimaldi Forum

On Wednesday, November 22^nd at the Grimaldi Forum, all the pupils of the Preparatory Course (CP) of Monaco (334 children) took part in a drowning awareness day, in the presence of H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco.

Organised by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in partnership with the Department of National Education, Youth and Sports (DENJS), the Mairie de Monaco, the Monegasque Red Cross, the Police Maritime, the Monaco Fire Brigade and the Académie Monégasque de la Mer, this morning aimed to raise awareness among the children about drowning prevention outside the water, with theoretical and practical workshops in the classroom.

Thanks to short activity sessions led by the partners, the children had access to a wide range of knowledge about drowning, the equipment used in the event of an accident and the first aid gestures that can save lives.

The children were also able to attend a reading session of the book “La Magie de l’Eau” by its author, Mélinda Guery, of which the Foundation is a partner. This illustrated, poetic and educational work inspires the youngest to learn to swim and gives them the tools to better understand the aquatic environment.

At the end of the morning, each child received a copy of the book, as well as a bag containing a swimming cap and a winter hat in the Foundation’s colours.

The partners of this event joined forces to ensure that drowning, which claims more than 230,000 victims worldwide each year, is not a fatality in Monaco.