The University of Arizona's From Fear to Freedom swimming program for African American children has now expanded to include teens and adults.
A parent and child participate in swim lessons through the From Fear to Freedom program at the U of A Campus Recreation pool.
From Fear to Freedom: Dive into Opportunity, the program in partnership with the African American Museum of Southern Arizona and U of A Aquatics, began in 2023, offering free swimming lessons to African American children with limited access to pools.
The program is expanding its lessons to include ages over 18 due to high demand, according to AAMSAZ director Nikieia Johnson.
“Many adults, especially individuals in their 60s and 70s, started reaching out en masse, saying that they never had a chance to learn how to swim and would like to learn how,†Johnson said in a news release, which she said contributed to the decision to broaden the program's resources.
The program also supplies various tools to new learners such as swimsuits, goggles, towels, flip-flops, sunscreen and, more recently, swim caps.
The lessons are now open to anyone in the community who would not otherwise have the resources or opportunity to learn how to swim.
Adult and teen lessons run parallel to the youth trainings, which include basic water-entry skills and water comfortability training, according to Daniel Hepfer, U of A Campus Recreation’s assistant director of aquatic operations. Parent-child lessons are also available.
They first received funding for the program in 2023 through a $5,000 Community Impact grant and have continued it with the help of local donors. The funds for expanding the program to adults were contributed by Betsy Bruce, the primary donor for this year, according to Beverly Elliott, co-founder of AAMSAZ.
“No child or adult should have to drown because they don’t have access to basic lessons,†Elliott said in the news release.
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Mother and daughter swim program participants pose beside the campus pool.
