Water safety days at Belle Isle offer free safety tips for children

Later this month, Water Safety Days will be offered on Belle Isle for Detroit families to help debunk fears of open water while also teaching water safety.
Recreational swimming for African American adults and children is historically marginal. The YMCA’s Water Safety Days hope to change children’s perception of water this summer.
Black children are susceptible to drowning at a rate three times the rate of other children, according to the YMCA. The combination of a lack of exposure and a fear of open water has prevented many of the city’s youth from learning how to properly swim.
“Most of Detroit’s children have limited access to swimming pools and instruction, and yet swimming is an important life safety skill,” said Nikole Constas, director of strategic initiatives at the YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit.
The Detroit Swims Initiative that provided children ages 8 to 13 a free eight-lesson program last month, focused on early swim instruction techniques that allow a child to become proficient in swim strokes and water safety. The program encouraged children from having a fear of water to becoming confident in early safety skills and basic swim strokes as accomplished swimmers.
“All children deserve access to water safety resources that not only could save their lives, but also enrich them with an outlet for fun, healthy activity,” said Constas.