AreaRead the drop down video transcript here
Jumping into the water - for non-swimmers it can be life-threatening.
And there are more and more of them, especially children.
But free places in swimming courses are scarce.
Original sound: Manuel Friedrich, President of the DLRG Bavaria:
"We already had long waiting lists before the corona pandemic, then the swimming pools were closed and unfortunately many swimming pools that are no longer being renovated will also be closed. So everything is pouring down on us right now. Now comes the next catastrophe. If the gas goes out, then the pools will probably be closed again.”
Once again, the children suffer.
According to SPIEGEL information, even in the relatively affluent Baden-Württemberg, at least 45 swimming pools are threatened with closure due to rising energy costs.
But where are the children supposed to learn to swim when all the pools are closing?
O-Ton: Parent Hanna Schösler:
»Yes, well, until now it has been impossible to get a place for my son in a swimming course. He's only going to school now, so that means he was of kindergarten age. But by then you should actually be learning to swim, because you often go swimming with the children and you want them to be reasonably safe in the water.«
Original sound parent: Nora Potze:
“And why do I want my child to learn to swim? So that I can go into the water with it undisturbed, even into the sea, and not have to worry that it will sink. That's a security question for me.«
Original sound: Joshua
“I always think jumping in is great. And if I can swim weightlessly there, that's fun too, in deep water.«
According to the DLRG, 17 children drowned in 2021. The lifeguards warn of a whole generation of non-swimmers.