Seven Weeks of Preparation Before Entering the Community
From 2 to 5 March, Swimdo partnered with students from Green School Bali through a meaningful service trip program, a five-day community engagement initiative supporting water safety education and environmental awareness in Gerokgak District, North Bali.
Together, 15 middle- and high-school students from Green School worked alongside Swimdo instructors to deliver a three-day survival swimming and water safety program for 50 elementary students from SDN 3 Sanggalangit and SDN 1 Banyupoh.
This collaboration shows how youth leadership can play a powerful role in addressing one of Indonesia’s most overlooked safety challenges: childhood drowning prevention.
Before arriving in Gerokgak, the Green School students prepared themselves through seven weeks of weekly training sessions with Swimdo instructors, held every Wednesday from 14 January to 11 March.
During this preparation period, students learned:
- how to teach survival swimming safely to younger children
- essential water safety knowledge for beginners
- rescue techniques for drowning emergencies
- basic first aid response for drowning victims
- global drowning statistics and prevention strategies
- how drowning risks affect children in Indonesia
- comparisons between drowning prevention approaches in different countries
This preparation ensured students arrived not simply as visitors, but as trained youth facilitators ready to contribute meaningfully to the program.
Delivering Survival Swimming Skills to Children in Gerokgak
During the first three days of the service trip, Green School students supported Swimdo instructors in delivering survival swimming and water safety lessons to 50 local elementary school students.
The program introduced essential life-saving skills such as the following:
- safe floating techniques
- safe entry and exit from water
- recognizing dangerous water conditions
- helping others safely without putting themselves at risk
- understanding when and how to ask for help
For many children participating in the program, this was their first experience learning structured survival swimming skills.
In coastal districts like Gerokgak, where children live close to rivers, beaches, and irrigation systems, access to water safety education can make a life-saving difference.
Learning About Ocean Conservation at Pemuteran Beach
On the fourth day, learning continued beyond survival swimming.
Students traveled to Pemuteran to visit two inspiring community-based marine conservation initiatives:
- Biorock Indonesia, a coral reef restoration project using innovative mineral accretion technology
- Reef Seen Turtle Conservation, a local sea turtle protection center,
During the visit, students explored how coral reef protection and turtle conservation support healthier coastal ecosystems and safer communities.
The day also included a beach clean-up activity and environmental games, helping students connect water safety education with environmental responsibility.
Why Youth Service Trips Like This Matter
This service trip showed how young people can become active contributors to community safety when given the right preparation and guidance.
Instead of short-term volunteering, the program focused on:
- learning before serving
- understanding local challenges
- supporting experienced instructors
- building confidence as youth educators
- connecting water safety with environmental stewardship
Experiences like this help students grow into future leaders who understand both global challenges and local solutions.
Swimdo’s Commitment to Water Safety Education in Indonesia
At Swimdo, we believe every child deserves access to survival swimming and water safety education, especially children growing up near rivers and coastal environments.
Partnerships like this service trip with Green School help expand access to life-saving knowledge while empowering young people to become part of the solution.
Together, we are building safer communities—one child at a time.
Work With Swimdo: Partner, Volunteer, or Support Our Programs
Swimdo welcomes collaboration with schools, youth groups, universities, and organizations interested in creating meaningful impact through water safety education and drowning prevention programs in Indonesia.
You can support our mission by:
- partnering in future Service Trips
- joining as a volunteer
- sponsoring survival swimming programs for children
- supporting community-based water safety education initiatives
If your school or organization would like to collaborate with Swimdo, we would love to hear from you.
