Activity 2: Swimming to Safety [4 points]
Yusra Mardini is a teenage girl who was born in Syria, a war-torn country in the Middle East. She left Syria in 2015 to get away from the constant fighting and became a refugee. During her journey to reach safety in a new country, the engine on the boat she was travelling in broke down and Yusra, her sister and two others jumped out of the boat and swam to get help. Her heroic actions saved twenty people’s lives.
Yusra now lives in Germany. In 2016 she was named as part of the Refugee Olympic Team and she swam for this team in the last summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She is now training for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Yusra and her elder sister fled the Syrian war and set off on a perilous journey to find safety in Europe. In summer 2015, they travelled through Lebanon to Turkey before departing for Greece in an overcrowded dinghy.
Fifteen minutes into the sea crossing, the boat’s engine failed. As a professional swimmer, Yusra was determined not to let any of her fellow passengers drown. Yusra, her sister and two others jumped into the waves and swam for three and a half hours in open water to stop their dinghy capsizing, saving the lives of 20 people.
A year later, Yusra’s courage, determination and strong swimming skills were recognized by the International Olympic Committee and became a member of the first ever Refugee Olympic Team. Yusra competed at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, helping to represent 65 million displaced people worldwide.
Since then, Yusra has addressed the United Nations General Assembly and met world leaders such as US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis. She has been presented with a number of prestigious awards and has been recognized for her work by Time and People magazines.
Yusra now lives in Berlin, Germany and is concentrating on her professional swimming career. She aims to compete at the next Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Yusra is a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refuge Agency, and works to alter global perceptions of refuges.Her message of hope, detrmination and courage reminds us that those who flee their countries are capable of achieving good things.
Morena Courtney,
ReplyDeleteWell done on posting and continuing to participate in the SLJ this year. Remember to keep being Cybersmart at all times by being positive, thoughtful, original and helpful in your blogging and commenting on others. This will increase your chance of gaining points and possibly winning one of the awesome prizes, not forgetting that it keeps your learning up over the school break!
I'd love to see if you could share another story about Yusra Mardini, keeping originality in mind. I know this seems like it could be a tricky activity to share someone's story in your own words. However, I have seen what you are capable of creating and I know you can do it.
I'll check back and see how you went soon.
Until next time, happy blogging,
Megan :)