Author: Benjamin Harrell
Warm weather is here at last! Being so close to the James River, it’s no wonder that Richmond brings flocks of locals and tourists alike to its many shores. Safety may not be the first thought about water this season, but the numbers don’t lie:
Did You Know?
• Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of accidental death for kids ages 1-14 years
• 50% of the population doesn’t know how to swim
• 70% of African Americans don’t know how to swim
• Nearly 61% of parents report that their child cannot save their own lives in the water, yet nearly all parents (94%) expect that their children will engage in some sort of water activity this summer
So, what’s holding people back from receiving proper water safety training?
What Happened?
Factors like the after effects of segregation, extreme fear due to lack of education and/or exposure, etc., make up many of the obstacles SwimRVA faces in the effort to Drownproof Richmond.
Segregation
During segregation, minority communities were barred from using the same facilities as White citizens, including bathrooms, restaurants, and even pools. Many organizations did all they could to exclude Blacks and other People of Color from engaging in the same facilities and activities. One infamous incident shows James Brock pouring muriatic acid on Black swimmers at an integration protest during the Civil Rights Movement.
After businesses and communities integrated as legally mandated, many public locations in Richmond chose to close their doors instead of co-exist as an equal community, leaving few options for Black to swim properly and learn the importance of water safety.
Socio-Economic Discrimination
Swimming was not only excluded along racial lines. Swimming ability has been shown to follow economic trends as well:
- About 80% of children in families with household income less than $50,000 have no/low swimming ability
- Children who qualify for free or reduced school lunch programs are 63% less likely to have good swimming ability
The lack of readily available swimmers has also affected Richmond financially. Proper training usually costs hundreds of dollars for hopefuls to even take a lifeguard course. in lifeguards has forced businesses to close pools and aquatic centers for earlier, if they open at all. Undercut business hours has led to decline in revenue from aquatic tourism, which in turn means less funding for lifeguard training and continues the cycle.
What We’re Doing
SwimRVA’s mission is to elevate swimming in the Richmond region making water safety and aquatic fitness more accessible to all. With the help of dedicated volunteers and staff, many lives have been changed through aquatics sport, fitness, and rehabilitation. Some of the programs SwimRVA is involved with include:
Learn-to-Swim
One want that SwimRVA works to increase aquatic safety is through the Learn-to-Swim Initiative. The program focuses on providing free swimming lessons to second graders in the Greater Richmond area, providing access to aquatic activities in the future.
Studies show that if a child doesn’t receive proper swim lessons by the third grade, he or she most likely never will. Since 2012, SwimRVA has provided over 6,300 children with 44,000+ free swimming lessons! The goal is to reach every elementary school in Greater Richmond by 2020.
Swim for Life
The Swim for Life Program, now in Carver College & Career Academy and L.C. Bird High School, works with local high schools to create a curriculum that takes the student from learning to swim to becoming a fully-certified lifeguard.
Few programs start from the very basics of swimming; most lifeguards were already skilled swimmers prior to applying.
“If you’ve never had a pool in your neighborhood, never had opportunities to swim, how are you gonna learn how to swim? It doesn’t happen,” explained Ted Quinn, Lifeguard Instructor at SwimRVA.The program is currently piloting at Carver College and Career Academy in Chesterfield, and has been a huge success for both trainers and students. This past year, all 9 of the students passed the CPR/First Aid/AED certification, and one student has passed the Red Cross certification and has been employed as a lifeguard!
What You Can Do
Register for certified swim lessons
- Learning how to swim is a potentially life-saving skill for both you and those around you. A 2014 survey conducted by the American Red Cross revealed only four in ten parents of children ages 4-17 report that their child can perform all five basic swimming skills, but about nine out of ten say that their child is likely to participate in water activities during the year! Become a role model in the water for your community by learning to swim correctly.
Advocate and Volunteer for learn-to-swim programs in local elementary schools
- Programs like Learn-to-Swim and Swim for Life only work with community support. Let your local community leaders know how important water safety is to you and your family.
Donate to local aquatic nonprofits in your area
Follow us for the latest! #SwimForIt!
The Mission of SwimRVA is to elevate swimming in the Richmond region making water safety and aquatic fitness more accessible to all. We promise to serve as a catalyst for regional aquatics and community-wide focus on water safety, health and fitness, sports tourism, and competitive aquatics. Donate today to help support our mission