At the Provincial Youth Activity Center in Quy Nhon Nam Ward, 30 children from Quy Nhon and Quy Nhon Nam wards are attending a free swimming course running from May 24 to June 18. Classes are held from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
In addition to basic swimming techniques, participants are taught water safety skills, how to respond to dangerous situations and ways to assist others during water emergencies. Staff members from the center are assigned to each session alongside coaches to help supervise and ensure the children’s safety.
Le Cong Kien, head of the Young Pioneer Organization at Le Loi Secondary School in Quy Nhon Ward and lead coach of the class, said children progress at different rates and require patient instruction.
“Some children can swim after just a few sessions, while others are very afraid of water and need more time to get comfortable. The most important thing is to help them acquire basic skills to protect themselves in dangerous water situations,” he said.
Children who were initially hesitant and fearful of the water have gradually gained confidence through guided practice, learning to float, breathe underwater and perform basic swimming movements.
Lam Ngoc Linh, a fifth-grade student at Quang Trung Primary School in Quy Nhon Nam Ward, said the detailed guidance from teachers had helped her overcome her fear of water.
Parents have welcomed the initiative, citing growing concerns over drowning incidents. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huong, whose two children are enrolled in the class, said swimming had become an essential skill for children, particularly during the summer holiday when they spend more time outdoors.
According to Tran Ngoc Quynh, deputy director of the Provincial Youth Activity Center, the center plans to organize seven free swimming classes this summer for children in both the eastern and western parts of the province.
Priority will be given to children from disadvantaged families, ethnic minority communities and households of young workers, Quynh said, describing the initiative as part of efforts to create a safe and meaningful summer for children.
Elsewhere in the province, the Yet Kieu Gia Lai Swimming Center in Ia Hrung Commune organized a free swimming course for 60 third- to fifth-grade students from Ngo May Primary School between April 1 and April 24.
Ngo Thi Phuong Yen, the school’s principal, said all students attending the course were from ethnic minority backgrounds. She noted that the area contains numerous ponds and small lakes, while parents are often occupied with agricultural work, increasing the risk of drowning among children.
Throughout the program, students received structured training that included water familiarization, breathing exercises, floating techniques, leg kicks and coordinated swimming movements.
According to Hoang Kim Doanh, a teacher at the Yet Kieu Gia Lai Swimming Center, many participants were able to swim between 15 and 25 meters by the end of the course, while also learning how to tread water, float and respond to hazardous situations.
On April 30, the Chu Se Commune Youth Union, in partnership with the Inspiring Running Sports Fund Club and Hong Anh Swimming Pool, organized a water safety skills program for 50 local young people.
Ho Ngoc Son, a swimming and running coach and head of the club, said his understanding of local waterways and experience in swimming education had motivated him to share essential safety skills with children in the community.
Additional free swimming programs are expected to open across Gia Lai in the coming months. The Hoai Nhon Nam Ward Youth Union plans to launch three swimming classes from June 1 at Vuon Dua Swimming Pool, including one free class dedicated to disadvantaged children.
Huynh Thuy Linh, secretary of the Hoai Nhon Nam Ward Youth Union, said the initiative marks the first time the ward has organized swimming lessons for local children. Information about the classes has been shared through local Young Pioneer groups and the “Hoai Nhon Nam Youth” fanpage, while efforts are underway to mobilize community support and resources for the program.
The expanding network of free swimming classes reflects growing community efforts across Gia Lai to improve child safety, promote physical activity and provide children with life-saving skills during the summer months.