YMCA is Teaching Skills that Save Lives to 18,000 Kids in Underserved Neighborhoods

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Lack of diversity in USA Swimming’s infrastructure became a hot topic in 2006, after Cullen Jones became the first African-American to hold a world record (4×100-meter freestyle relay) in swimming. Lack of diversity resurfaced this year at the Rio 2016 Olympics after Simone Manuel became the first ever African-American woman to win an individual Olympic Gold medal in swimming.

A lack of minorities in competitive swimming is attached to deeper historical and generational roots – historically, segregation; generationally; fear, according to one source.

Lack of pools in low-income, minority communities is part of the problem. For example, Minneapolis has one pool per 138,000 people compared to its wealthier twin city, St. Paul, which has one pool per 28,000 people.

Teaching children water safety is not a luxury; it is a necessity.

In May 2016, the YMCA of the USA pledged to provide more than 18,000 scholarships for free swim lessons to children from underserved communities—with an emphasis on reaching at-risk African American and Hispanic/Latino children—as a part of its Safety Around Water program earlier this summer. Check out their program resources in Spanish.

“It’s our mission to help mitigate the socio-cultural factors that inhibit today’s youth—especially those of color in urban communities—from receiving the potentially lifesaving skills to keep them safe in and around water,” said Kevin Washington, President and CEO of Y-USA according to one source.

Swimming is not an issue of recreation. It is a civil rights and public health issue. Ensuring equitable access to pools and water safety lessons is critical for kid’s physical, social, emotional, and mental well being.

Read a Salud Hero story about a low-income neighborhood in Minneapolis that fought to prevent an indoor pool from being cementer over here.

Read about how parks and schools worked together in Broward County, Florida to teach students water safety here.