Southeast Raleigh YMCA saves lives one swim lesson at a time

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- With a kick and a push, the third-grade class at Southeast Raleigh Elementary School learned how to swim on Friday as part of their physical education.

The Southeast Raleigh YMCA offers the school swimming lessons for 1st-5th grade students on Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"They're happy, they're smiling, they really enjoy it," PE teacher Dave Jones said.

Swimming is a life-saving skill that not many children know how to do, according to Southeast Raleigh YMCA aquatics director Waleska Brown.

"If you grew up swimming and around pools, then naturally your parents passed that on to you," Brown said. "But if you grew up not around pools, then you developed this natural fear of water."

Children of color are at a higher risk for drowning, according to a national study that finds 45% of Hispanic/Latino children and 64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability.

"Generational aquaphobia (fear of water) plagues this community and marginalized communities and communities of color across the country because of redlining and the areas in which pools were built, they were always built in affluent areas," Brown said. "Even just dating back to segregation, how public pools and beaches were segregated. The fear is deep in this community."

By making swim lessons available, the Southeast Raleigh YMCA hopes to reduce the drowning rate in communities of color.

"To see how many kids miss out on aquatic activities because of the fear is sad," Brown said. "And so just to see the milestones that they make, like putting their face in the water ... learning how to blow bubbles in the water is extremely rewarding."

With April 27th marking this year's National Pool Opening Day, some cities across the Triangle are gearing up for the summer crowd.

The City of Raleigh said they are staffed and ready to open seasonal pools beginning Memorial Day weekend while the City of Durham needs more lifeguards before they open their outdoor pools in June.

Whether it's at the YMCA or somewhere else, Brown encourages families to know about water safety.

"Watch your children, keep an arm's length away from them, have flotation devices on hand, and monitor them. Make swimming an activity that you both can learn and do together," Brown said.