WARWICK, R.I. — You’d be hard pressed to find any Rhode Islander who has spent more time in the water than Elizabeth Beisel, and yet, even the three-time Olympian says she doesn’t feel “completely safe” in the water.
In fact, no one should, she says, which is in part why she created a new camp for young people ages 10-14 focused on swim safety.
The idea came to Beisel last summer when she was training to become a lifeguard at Narragansett Town Beach, where she faced some sobering truths. While she’s won Olympic silver and bronze, she realized she lacked a comprehensive knowledge of essential skills around the water. At 29 years old, Beisel said, she had “never learned CPR, never knew first aid, never knew Heimlich maneuver — nothing — which blew my mind, because I’ve been near water every day for my entire life.”
“I never knew how to identify a distressed victim. I never knew how to save them, what the proper protocol was, and you would think that would be almost a requirement for being on a swim team, or, not even being an Olympic swimmer, but someone who is just around water.”
So with fellow Ocean State native Brian Guadagno, founder of Raw Elements sunscreen, Beisel created Emerge Youth Life Skills Camps, which will run for two weeks this month, starting Monday. Swim safety will be the camp’s cornerstone.
In recent weeks, there have been five accidental drownings across the state, according to the R.I. Department of Health; on average, there are 11 drowning deaths per day in the United States. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1-4 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths for children ages 0-17 years old.
Doctors Elizabeth “Lillie” Haxton and Olivia Young, both Brown University pediatric residents at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, recently secured a Community Access To Child Health (CATCH) grant through the American Academy of Pediatrics to assess the main factors that affect drowning risk in Rhode Island.
“Lille and I both were interested in learning more about what barriers children in the Rhode Island community have to learning more about swim safety, and just overall, understanding risk factors in our community as well as who’s more at risk for drownings and near fatal drownings,” said Young. Their focus group is going to be ages 1-4, said Young, because that is where they see the leading cause of death from drownings.
Young points out that Rhode Island’s 400 miles of coastline, plus lakes, rivers, ponds, and pools, are obvious risk factors, but said it’s important to recognize drownings happen year-round, even in a minimal amount of water, including in bathtubs. Over the next year, the two will partner with local institutions to identify areas to better educate about drowning prevention and water safety.
While Beisel has designed her new camp to better prepare young people around the water, swim safety is part of a broader focus on the “building blocks for life,” as Beisel says. Programs include leadership development, self-assurance, situational awareness, human connection, digital detoxing, mental health, and environmental stewardship.
Swimming activities will be held at McDermott Pool, education days will be hosted at The Event Factory, a performing arts center, and a session at Rocky Point State Park led by Narragansett Indian tribal elders will focus on connecting with nature. Beisel’s goal is to help campers understand that history isn’t only in books, but all around us.
“The indigenous peoples’ experience, which I think is super important because, look at the land that we’re living on, how beautiful it is. This is who was here first,” she said.
Camp participants will explore the coast in sessions led by Save The Bay – a natural partnership for Beisel, who has been a vocal advocate for clean water. “We’ll be talking about coastlines, keeping them clean, and how 50 years ago, we weren’t even able to swim in our bay,” said Beisel, who in 2021 became the first woman to swim 10 miles from mainland Rhode Island to Block Island.
Save the Bay’s director of education, Bridget Prescott, said the camp’s age group – mostly middle schoolers – is ideal as it allows them to develop meaningful relationships with natural resources early on. Campers will explore the shoreline, examine specimens, and learn about the Bay’s habitats. “By learning to love the Bay, its plants and animals, and the issues that impact them early, young people will be inspired to protect them. By talking to their families about refraining from littering, sharing knowledge with friends, or encouraging parents to join them for a cleanup, young people can have a real impact on the Bay and the issues that affect it.”
“I’m just so excited for all of it,” said Beisel. “What better demographic of people to impart this on than these kids, because then they kind of grow into like this beautiful group of leaders in the community later on in life.”
Emerge Youth Life Skills Camps run Aug. 7-11, and Aug. 14-18. emergecamps.com