YWCA teaches kids, adults to swim
Learning to swim: it’s a rite of passage that, unfortunately, not all Belizeans experience. This morning News 5’s Jacqueline Woods learned that for those with the desire, it’s as easy as falling into the pool.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Do you remember where you first learned how to swim…or at least do the dog paddle? It may have been in a pond, river or sea and under the guidance of a relative or friend. But no matter how long ago it was, it is refreshing to know that children continue to experience the thrill… only this time, an increasing number of boy and girls have the opportunity to learn in a controlled and safe environment.
Since 1997, the YWCA has been holding swimming classes in their St. Thomas Street pool for children of all ages, as well as adults.
Melanie Gideon, Volunteer Aquatics Assistant, YWCA
“You would be surprised how many Belizeans do not know how to swim despite going to lagoons, lakes and the sea for vacations and still do not know how to swim. So it is basically to teach kids basic water safety and we have different levels, so if you know a little bit of swimming, we advance we have seven levels here.”
“Basic water safety from just doing different floats, being comfortable putting your head under water and water safety, what you can or cannot do in the water. You have your other level then you start doing your strokes and we go all the way up to advance swimming where you are doing laps in the pool and different breast strokes, back strokes, front crawls and everything, very advanced. So depending on the level of the child or the adult, we move on from there.”
The swimming instructors do not usually have a problem getting their students in the pool. But not all are comfortable with the idea of putting their little heads under water. It’s one of the most important skills they must learn to do in order to swim properly.
Melanie Gideon
“We usually have extremes. The ones that don’t have no sense of fear, so by the time you turn your back they are behind you and the others you can’t get them beyond that first step. Well on a whole at the end of the swimming session, usually everybody is well in tuned to the water and start having fun. On a whole, it’s good.”
According to YWCA’s volunteer aquatics assistant, Melanie Gideon, each one hour class is well supervised, so parents can feel comfortable leaving their child at the pool with them
Melanie Gideon
“All of our instructors, which we have ten of them, are both trained in swim instruction and life guarding. And at any given time there are two lifeguards on the deck watching. And the head lifeguard and myself are always about the pool deck, so there are very heavily supervised. So most parents do leave their kids, because they feel comfortable leaving their children.”
The first of two sessions is already well underway. So if you would like to register your child, you can sign up for the second programme that gets underway on July twenty-eight. Jacqueline Woods for News 5.
Financial support for the swimming classes is being provided by Belize Water Services.
