Summer vacation is in full swing – and while some children are enjoying the down time – others have taken the dive into summer programmes. We found one such group at the YWCA pool today.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
This is where we found over twenty boys and girls on their first day off from school: inside the YWCA swimming pool. And while the children no doubt had fun frolicking in the water what they were actually doing was learning how to swim. The children had a great time kicking, splashing and familiarizing themselves with all the basic swimming skills that will keep them safe in a pool and in open water.
It was truly amazing watching these boys and girls because even though most of them like seven year old Elisha Salazar are just learning how to stay afloat, they weren’t scared when they got into the pool.
Elisha Salazar, 7 years old
“I decided to come here because I want to learn how to swim.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Why is it important to know how to swim?
Elisha Salazar,
“Because if you drown you can die.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Did you feel comfortable in the water?
Elisha Salazar,
“Yes mom.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
And what do you like about the teachers?
Elisha Salazar,
“That they tell you how to do stuff so that you can learn how to do it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So the next time your parents take you to the cayes you will be pretty okay in the water?
Elisha Salazar,
“I think so.”
The summer swimming classes are offered by the Young Women Christian Association and children as young as five years old are taking part in the courses.
Brianna Kerr, 5 years old
“Because my mommy wanted me to learn how to swim.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
So the next time you go into the water, let’s say if mommy takes you to the caye, you will feel comfortable going in the open water?
Brianna Kerr,
“Yes.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
What have you been learning to do?
Brianna Kerr,
“The dog pedal, the jelly fish, the body board.”
Young Brianna Kerr has also been learning how to float on her back. And for
those of you who do not know how to do the jelly fish here is what six year old Abigail Castellanos says you need to do.
Abigail Castellanos, 6 years old
“You put your foot on the wall and then you push off.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
You don’t seem to be scared of the water. Why?
Abigail Castellanos,
“Because they got the stairs and the thing you stand up on.”
Sasha Walker, Volunteer – YWCA
“We play games so that they learn the techniques better. They learn like doggy paddle, the breast stroke, the front crawl, the back stroke –those are the basic techniques they learn. They learn to float as well.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Why is it important for boys and girls your age to know how to swim?
Melisha Benguche, 8 years old
“Cause if you get into deep water you might drown if you can’t swim.”
Sasha Walker,
“It is important for kids on a whole to learn to swim so when they go out somewhere like the cayes or something the parents don’t have to be 100% worried about their kids. If they know how to swim, they will know in a situation, we teach the kids all different techniques, so no matter what situation they are in, they will know exactly what to do and how to get out of it so it is like a life guard training in the process as well because we take them to the deep and they learn that if they go in the deep they learn exactly what to do to get out of the deep and back into shallow and if they need to call for help, they know what to do call for help as well.
Last year we had children up to three so it depends. It depends how the kids learn too because what we do is divide them up. The first class is we get to know them, we affiliate with them and once we know how fast they learn then we put them, so young kids can come as well because we have our special little group for them as well, we take our time and learn so that they know how to do it as well.”
And looking at the faces of the first set of children after just one day on the course these boys and girls are already displaying the confidence they need to be successful swimmers. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News.
