“I want to learn how to swim and how to be comfortable in water.”

Dozens of kids were gathered around the sides of Clarkston’s Milam Park Pool on Thursday morning. With the temperature creeping towards the 90’s, and the sparkling blue water inviting, they were eager to jump in.

But as fun and as refreshing as a dip in the pool can be, it also comes with risks, especially for those who are not experienced swimmers. 

These kids were part of a worldwide event. Billed as the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, it aims to provide a foundation for those learning to swim. The event is truly global, with lessons being given on every continent (excluding Antarctica, of course).

Milam Park Pool was the site of one of the Atlanta area events, for the second year in a row, co-organized by The Swem School and the Greater Atlanta Water Safety Alliance. 

“We had 50 slots, and ended up having waitlist, because the need and the desire was so much,” said Trish Miller, founder of The Swem School.

The free lesson came several days after the death of a 9 year old boy, a member of the Rohingya community, who drowned in the swimming pool of the Village at the Creek apartments on June 7. A few days later, a 10 year old boy nearly drowned in the Silver Oaks apartment complex pool and was rushed to the hospital. He survived.

Reaching minority communities is a priority for The Swem School, Trish told 285 South. That’s why having the lesson in Clarkston, which has a population that is around 70 percent Black or African American and nearly 18 percent Asian location – was key. 37 percent of residents in Clarkston are foreign born.

For minority communities, drowning rates are disproportionately high.  Black and African American children have fatal drowning rates that are three times higher than white children. 

Trish says she’s had success reaching African American children – but reaching the refugee communities in the Clarkston area has been harder. The partnership with the City though, has made a difference, she said. Since last summer, The Swem School has been providing scholarships for swim lessons in the area. 

“I would say the language barrier is probably one of the largest challenges that we face.” As well as, “the education as to why it’s [swim lessons are] important.”

Craig Sears, founder of the Greater Atlanta Water Safety Alliance (GAWSA), who was also at the swimming lesson, agrees. He’s been working for over 10 years to stop drownings, mostly through water safety workshops and partnerships with organizations like The Swem School.

“We’ve been working here in the city of Clarkston for a number of years now, to try to reach more of those [refugee] populations,” he said. It’s been challenging, he said, mostly because of language barriers and social customs. “It takes a while to build that trust…we have to have somebody that is willing to partner with us and is also respected in [the] community to help make the partnership really work.”

He has had success making inroads in some immigrant communities – he recently brought on Esteban Galarza to the team to work on outreach to Latino families. Esteban helped launch a scholarship for swim lessons this summer, and so far, it’s been a success. “We have like 80 people on the waitlist,” he said.

One 15-year old girl spoke to 285 South, between jumps in the pool. She moved to Clarkston from Afghanistan around five years ago, and said she had never swam before. Her sister and some of her classmates were with her too – they had learned about the lesson through school. 

 “I want to learn how to swim and how to be comfortable in water,” she said, before leaping back into the water.

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