Phase One
In August 2022, Swim to Success worked with 18 children from poor migrant families in Baja California, Mexico. The team comprised 11 individuals with 5 instructors, 3 translators, and 3 lifeguards. We started by doing water safety activities with the children through coloring books and real-life demonstrations. We then worked on getting the children comfortable in the water. They blew bubbles and practiced their breathing under the water. In the following days, we introduced back float positions and practiced these on land as a group before we moved to the water. The children then started to practice applying the techniques in the water with the teacher's assistance and then on their own. Our team also incorporated plenty of free time to continue allowing the children to gain familiarity with the water while having fun with us and their friends. By the end, children who were too scared even to dip their feet in the water were showing us their back floats and completely submerged under the water.
Phase Two
In August 2023, Swim to Success continued to grow. This year we were given the chance to give over 60 kids the gift of swimming. Our team also grew as we even had the instructors from the Wings Project join us this year! Our structure was very similar to last year. We started with water safety through coloring books and real-life demonstrations. We introduced the children to the back float techniques on land and dove right into the water. The children worked on getting comfortable in the water through zombie walks and blowing bubbles. They worked with instructors on back floats and were even able to advance to front floats as well. We played group games like water baseball allowing the children to work on their new skills. Our team set up shows and tells as a way for the kids to showcase what they had been working on. It was so impressive to see their progress. The excitement in their new skills said it all.
Partnerships
