People born in the 1970s to 1990s will remember the iconic yellow, orange, red, brown, blue, green, gray and white crests. The oldest, junior, intermediate and senior levels and the mascot Jeannot Prudent. And the youngest, from the Aquaventure program.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
In 76 years of existence, the Canadian Red Cross water safety program has forged many memories in the minds of several generations of swimmers. Above all, it has enabled more than 40 million Canadians to learn to swim, or to swim better, and to behave safely in or near water.
It is therefore a page of history that will be turned at the beginning of the year 2023. The Canadian Red Cross announced in January that it will end its program of swimming, water safety and lifesaving lessons, moving the torch to the Lifesaving Society of Canada, which already offers a swimming lesson program in other Canadian provinces.
In a press release, the Red Cross explained that it had made this decision due to “changing humanitarian needs, market developments and the strategic orientation of the organization”. The intensification of disasters, emergencies and health crises mobilizes the organization, which wishes to focus on them.
76 years of history
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RED CROSS
These color patches were distributed to children in the 1980s and 1990s.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RED CROSS
Old badges distributed by the Red Cross
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RED CROSS
From 1963, Jeannot Prudent became the mascot of the Red Cross courts.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE RED CROSS
The Junior program was launched in 2005.
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The Canadian Red Cross started its swimming lessons program in 1946, at a time when the drowning rate was particularly high in Quebec. There were 1,000 drownings per year, compared to about 500 today for a population three times larger. The Red Cross branches had the task of counting the number of children who could not swim in their community. And in rural areas, there were many of them.
For a long time, the Red Cross program offered pre-juvenile, juvenile, junior, intermediate and senior levels. Many people will remember the character of Jeannot Prudent, the face of the program in the 1960s and 1970s.
Director General of the Quebec Division of the Lifesaving Society, Raynald Hawkins well remembers the first swimming lessons he took, at the age of 9 or 10, in a swimming pool in Sainte-Agathe, in the Laurentians. “I asked my mother to sew on my swimsuit the crest of the last level that I had completed,” says Mr. Hawkins, proud that his organization is now taking over.
The color system (from yellow to white) was introduced in 1981, and the Aquatoddler and Aquaventure programs in 1996. Another revamp was made in 2005, with preschool and junior 1 to 10 programs.
Difficult context
The handover occurs in a difficult context for the world of water safety. In Quebec, the pandemic has led to a significant decrease in the number of young people who have taken their water safety instructor courses (offered by the Red Cross) and lifeguard courses (offered by the Lifesaving Society). Sanitary measures have also disrupted the aquatic journey of many young people.
The Lifesaving Society of Canada says it’s ready to take on the challenge, with optimism that the transition will double participation in swimming, lifesaving and leadership lessons. “We are convinced that it will be beneficial in the recovery to train lifeguards and swimming instructors”, indicates Raynald Hawkins.
The Lifesaving Society has already offered its Swim for Life swimming program for almost 20 years in other Canadian provinces, but not yet in Quebec. The curriculum is essentially the same as that of the Red Cross, with 3 levels for toddlers, 5 for children aged 3 to 5, and 10 for those aged 5 and over.
Notice to nostalgics: children will continue to receive badges.
In the version of this article published in La Presse+, we indicated that the Lifesaving Society program was called Learn to Swim. It’s more like a Swim for Life program. Our apologies.