Adult Learn-to-Swim
The Problem:
Studies show that severe health issues and fatalities due to unintentional drownings are entirely avoidable. This is particularly true when it comes to Black, Hispanic and underserved populations.
What makes this problem so insidious is that age-appropriate water safety instruction, delivered in a properly equipped aquatics facility, can be the difference between life and needless death.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), Blacks and Hispanics are significantly more likely to die or be adversely affected by unintentional drownings than Whites. This is true for both children as well as adults, making them at risk for needless fatalities that access to swim instruction and age-appropriate water safety instruction can prevent.
New York City, whose nine million inhabitants have less access to indoor swim facilities than those in any other large American city, is equally deficient when it comes to offering adult swim instruction. There are barely enough swim programs teaching children life-saving skills but none in Brooklyn specifically addressing the particular concerns of adult learners, including long-term health issues and a fear of water.
The Solution:
Inclusive Community Wellness Inc. (ICW)—a Brooklyn-based non-profit dedicated to empowering individuals from under-served communities to improve their health, well-being and productivity—will partner with St. Francis College, Brooklyn and the Magnus Mukoro Foundation to provide adult swim instruction for low-income Black and Hispanic adults in and around Downtown Brooklyn.
This six-month initiative will serve as many as 100 adults and will furnish essential water safety information to their extended families. It will also provide us with critical data and replicable metrics for a planned borough-wide adult learn-to-swim program.
The proposed program would take place over three six weekend periods—on either Saturdays or Sundays—in three to four 30-minute segments. Instruction will include, but not be limited to:
• Awareness, skills, and self-confidence in practicing water safety
• Proper use of flotation devices
• Rudimentary swim skills, including drown-proofing techniques
• Water appropriate games and activities to engage participants
• Information about water safety
• Planning for participants to continue swimming