Български
SWIM: Swim Without Fear
#SWIM presented at an international scientific congress
10.11.2023
On November 10, 2023, within the fifteenth International Scientific Congress "Challenges and Perspectives of Sports Science," the Bulgarian Sports Development Association introduced ongoing activities and initiatives, including research findings from the innovative action #SWIM - Swim Without Fear, to leading scholars, coaches, and experts from Bulgaria and abroad. The research highlighted that hydrophobia is not an uncommon phenomenon, with many children experiencing fear or anxiety related to water. It's crucial to recognize and address these fears to ensure that children can enjoy water activities safely.
Early exposure and gradual introduction to the aquatic environment, evidence-based strategies, personalized exercise programs, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and collaboration with swimming instructors are effective methods in helping children overcome hydrophobia. The data underscore the potential of sports science in improving the quality of life for children and their families in addressing this issue through innovative ways to combat hydrophobia, allowing all children to enjoy the benefits of water sports and activities while remaining safe.
To date, various tools have been developed to ensure children embrace the aquatic environment as a fun and positive activity. An augmented reality application, a children's song, and a coloring book are available for free download by parents and/or sports organizations on the project's website: www.myswim.org.
Bulgaria and Croatia are countries where maritime tourism is a significant part of the economy. Each year, a considerable number of children in both countries die from drowning due to the inability to swim or fear of water. The fear of water and swimming is a widespread issue among children. Sport is one of the most powerful tools that can support the process of inclusion and provide new opportunities to the targeted audience. The "Swim Without Fear" project aims to use the link between sports and overcoming mental challenges in an innovative and different way by developing a good practice manual. This manual will be beneficial for both parents and swimming organizations. "Swim Without Fear" is a small-scale partnership in sports aimed at benefiting young future swimmers, their parents and families, as well as swimming clubs and their coaches/instructors:
Benefits for Children:
Benefits for Parents and Families:
Benefits for Swimming Clubs:
According to most experts, swimming lessons can commence at the age of 6-7. When children come to the club without fear, they come with cultivated love for water. This facilitates faster and smoother training, and it also discovers and nurtures some children's talents at a later stage.
Main Outcomes of the Project:
The #SWIM! project aligns with the horizontal objectives of the Erasmus+ program, aimed at providing inclusion and diversity in all areas of education, training, youth, and sports. By publishing the "Swim Without Fear" manual, our project aims to illustrate the connection between parents and children and how easily we can use our free time to build character and skills in our children. Conducting #SWIM! events with 10 pairs of parents and children aims to showcase the other strong connection that could positively influence fear reduction – the one between children. Partner organizations from Bulgaria and Croatia are united in their goal to establish sports (in our case, swimming) as an educational tool and to help increase physical activity in both countries and internationally by providing free online access to the manual translated into three languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, and English.
The #SWIM project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and is implemented by a consortium composed of the Bulgarian Sports Development Association, the Association of Bulgarian Swimmers and Vere Montis, a Croatian non-governmental organization for sports development.
To date, various tools have been developed to ensure children embrace the aquatic environment as a fun and positive activity. An augmented reality application, a children's song, and a coloring book are available for free download by parents and/or sports organizations on the project's website: www.myswim.org.
Bulgaria and Croatia are countries where maritime tourism is a significant part of the economy. Each year, a considerable number of children in both countries die from drowning due to the inability to swim or fear of water. The fear of water and swimming is a widespread issue among children. Sport is one of the most powerful tools that can support the process of inclusion and provide new opportunities to the targeted audience. The "Swim Without Fear" project aims to use the link between sports and overcoming mental challenges in an innovative and different way by developing a good practice manual. This manual will be beneficial for both parents and swimming organizations. "Swim Without Fear" is a small-scale partnership in sports aimed at benefiting young future swimmers, their parents and families, as well as swimming clubs and their coaches/instructors:
Benefits for Children:
- Overcoming innate water fear in most young children (4-6 years old)
- Acquiring basic swimming skills. After overcoming the fear of water, they can engage in activities such as playing with a ball, using a swimming belt, or using inflatable armbands.
- Adopting the correct body position in the water.
Benefits for Parents and Families:
- Quality leisure time around water basins – pools, seas, lakes, etc.
- Saving expenses on swimming instructor fees.
Benefits for Swimming Clubs:
According to most experts, swimming lessons can commence at the age of 6-7. When children come to the club without fear, they come with cultivated love for water. This facilitates faster and smoother training, and it also discovers and nurtures some children's talents at a later stage.
Main Outcomes of the Project:
- Conducting research on needs in partner countries
- Printing the "Swim Without Fear" manual, which will assist parents and organizations and will be distributed in kindergartens, schools, hotels, and swimming pools
- An online platform where the manual and instructional videos will be published, translated into three languages: English, Bulgarian, and Croatian
- A trial swimming event in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the project's conclusion to demonstrate the methods proposed in the "Swim Without Fear" manual
The #SWIM! project aligns with the horizontal objectives of the Erasmus+ program, aimed at providing inclusion and diversity in all areas of education, training, youth, and sports. By publishing the "Swim Without Fear" manual, our project aims to illustrate the connection between parents and children and how easily we can use our free time to build character and skills in our children. Conducting #SWIM! events with 10 pairs of parents and children aims to showcase the other strong connection that could positively influence fear reduction – the one between children. Partner organizations from Bulgaria and Croatia are united in their goal to establish sports (in our case, swimming) as an educational tool and to help increase physical activity in both countries and internationally by providing free online access to the manual translated into three languages: Bulgarian, Croatian, and English.
The #SWIM project is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union and is implemented by a consortium composed of the Bulgarian Sports Development Association, the Association of Bulgarian Swimmers and Vere Montis, a Croatian non-governmental organization for sports development.
