We Can Swim!

More about We Can Swim!

The goal of We Can Swim! is to increase water safety in urban communities, starting at a young age, and help limit childhood drowning incidents by providing free swimming lessons and events for children in a safe environment. According to the Centers for Disease Control, drowning is the second leading cause of childhood death in the United States. Over 70% of African American children and over 60% of Latino children have not yet learned to swim. Our objective is to make as many children water safe as possible in order to lower these staggering statistics.

We began We Can Swim! by approaching the elementary schools near Penn’s campus. We form relationships with the children and administrators in the fall and invite any and all children to attend lessons and events in the spring. Our participants are primarily of low economic background and the families appreciate that we try to keep the program free for the children. The children are primarily African American boys and girls (more boys than girls) between the ages of 5 and 11. These are the children that benefit most from our program, as they are the least likely to be taught how to swim by their parents.