Jackson Heights, Queens, Councilman and Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission Shekar Krishnan, along with several elected officials, announced the Waveshakers pilot program offering free swimming lessons across all five boroughs.
Krichnan said the initiative was prompted by recent drowning deaths at the city’s beaches. The councilman added that one in four children in the city does not know how to swim.
So far this summer, four teenagers have drowned on the city’s public beaches.
The mayor explained that a fund of 1 million dollars was allocated to create the program that seeks to teach 2,600 second grade children to swim in the five counties.
Instruction is being delivered at the Garden School by coaches from the nonprofit CommonPoint, who divide children into level one and level two.
Swimming instructor Daniel Velázquez explained that in the level one beginner classes, they are taught how to make bubbles, how to blow water and how to move their legs by kicking the water.
“When they get to level two, they can take off their flotation device so we can help them move around on their own.”
Some parents who attend training sessions say that learning to swim gives their children confidence.
This is what Fiona Avila, mother of a swimming student, said.
“My son is a bit nervous, it’s his first time, but I’ve explained to him many times that he just has to learn. There are a lot of people who can’t because of the heat and because there aren’t many pools in the area, but they’re going to swim anyway because they’re going to the beach.”
Four lives have been lost on the city’s beaches this summer. A few weeks ago, two young people identified as Elyjha Chandler and Christian Perkins drowned at Jacob Riis Park Beach, and over the Fourth of July weekend, sisters Aisha Mohammed and Zainab Mohammed also died at Coney Island.
In the wake of these tragedies, elected officials are calling for more lifeguards and extended hours for these public workers on beaches to prevent drownings.
Councilman Krichnan said he will seek more funding to increase the number of lifeguards and to train more children in this profession, especially among high school students. “We need more resources to offer free programs to teach children how to swim,” he insisted.
These free swimming classes are sold out, but the nonprofits are working to offer these classes in different communities in the future.
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