More than 300 of Monaco’s six-year-olds spent Wednesday 11th November at the Grimaldi Forum learning how to spot danger in the water, as the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation brought the Principality’s emergency services together for its annual drowning prevention morning.
Seventeen first-year primary classes and 52 chaperones took part in this year’s ‘Drowning Prevention Campaign’, which aims to instil simple, life-saving instincts in children before they set foot on a beach or jump into a pool. The stakes are high: drowning claims around 300,000 lives worldwide every year, according to the World Health Organization. The morning has become a fixture of the school year, with 310 pupils taking part in 2024, as reported by Monaco Life.
Instincts rather than rescues
“After two hours of workshops, we don’t expect the children to know how to perform first aid or rescue one another,” Anne Boggio, Director General of the Princess Charlene Foundation, told Monaco Life. “It is more about how they react if they see something that looks wrong.”
“At the end of the day, we just want these children to go home tonight and say, ‘When I am in the water, I know I have to pay attention to what I am doing, but also to the people around me,’” she added.
Emergency services on hand
The Department of National Education, Youth and Sports (DENJS) worked alongside the Foundation on the event. Across nine short theoretical and practical sessions, children rotated through stations run by the Monegasque Red Cross, the Maritime and Airport Police, the Monaco Fire Brigade and the Monaco Water Rescue and Diving Centre (CSAPM).
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation joined the line-up for the first time, raising awareness of the Mediterranean marine environment and the need to protect it, while Olaf and Stitch puppets kept the six-year-olds engaged between workshops.
At the Red Cross stand, volunteers took children through real-world hazards using miniature set-ups. “We study different scenes starting at the beach, moving to the swimming pool, and even inside the home in a bathroom or bathtub,” Christiane Petrilli from the Monegasque Red Cross told Monaco Life. “It lets us discuss drowning risks anywhere water is present, especially when parents aren’t looking.”
Police and fire officers taught pupils which emergency numbers to call and showed them life-saving rescue equipment, while aquatic rescue teams used blue gym mats to demonstrate sea rescue techniques and explain how to recognise someone in difficulty.
Months of planning
“It takes several months to organise. We have to align dates with the schools, coordinate with all our partners, and secure the venue. The Grimaldi Forum is incredibly generous in providing the space free of charge every year. The format remains consistent, but every year we try to add something new, whether that’s new mascots, extra activities, or welcoming new partners,” said Damira Bottin, Event Manager at the Princess Charlene Foundation.
The morning closed with applause for the physical education teachers, emergency teams and organisers who made it possible, sending Monaco’s youngest pupils home better prepared for time in and around the water.
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Photo credit: JC Vinaj