Making Swimming Accessible
Created by NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Council Member Julie Menin, and Asphalt Green, in partnership with Commonpoint, Wave Makers’ goal is to provide essential water safety instruction to children across New York City, free of charge. Commonpoint provides over 60,000 swim lessons a year across the borough of queens and beyond, and also trains and hire lifeguards and water safety instructors.
You can learn more about Commonpoint’s swim lessons and water safety programs at https://www.commonpointqueens.org/aquatics/. You can also read below to see the news coverage and press release that followed the event.
Commonpoint Chief Operating Officer Craig Lastres spoke at the Wave Makers kick-off press conference, on Monday, July 15th, 2024, about the importance of swim lessons for our city’s youth.
Amid Drowning Crisis, NYC Parks Chair Krishnan and City Leaders Launch Free Swim Program in Jackson Heights, Call for Urgent Water Safety Measures
Jackson Heights, NY – Amid a tragic string of drownings at public beaches in recent weeks, New York City Council Parks Chair Shekar Krishnan, City Council Member Julie Menin, Asphalt Green, and the Gray Foundation launched a new, free swim program called “WaveMakers,” targeting communities that would otherwise lack access to pools and aquatics. With partner organizations including the YMCA of Greater New York and Commonpoint, WaveMakers will deliver free swimming lessons to more than 2,000 children across all five boroughs in coming months.
Elected leaders and water safety advocates in attendance for the launch also called on the Mayor and the NYC Parks Department to take emergency measures to improve safety in public waters, including extending beach hours and lifeguard shifts, hiring Red Cross and YMCA-certified lifeguards, and scheduling additional NYC Parks certification tests. They urged city and state leaders to build new public pools, prioritizing the communities of color, and low-income, immigrant communities that lack them, like Jackson Heights in Queens.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Chair of the Committee on Parks & Recreation, said, “The four drownings at public beaches in recent week are showing us the tragic consequences of the lack of pools, swim programs, and water safety education in our city. In this city surrounded by water, it is disgraceful that one in four New York City children cannot swim. That’s why, alongside Council Member Menin, the Gray Foundation, and Asphalt Green, I’m proud to launch Wave Makers, which will provide free swim lessons to thousands of children across the five boroughs in coming months. And I’m especially excited that Jackson Heights, a diverse immigrant community without a single public pool, is one of the first neighborhoods to launch this free program.”
Council Member Julie Menin said, “We’re thrilled that Asphalt Green’s Wave Makers pilot program is now underway, marking a significant milestone in our efforts to ensure New York’s children, especially those in underserved communities, don’t miss out on life-saving swim lessons. I launched this initiative with Council Member Krishnan, the Gray Foundation, and Asphalt Green to provide free, comprehensive swimming lessons to up to 2,000 second graders across New York City, because swimming is a matter of public safety and equity for our city’s youth. We’re excited to see Asphalt Green kick off this groundbreaking initiative, which empowers the next generation of New Yorkers with vital water safety skills.”
“Wave Makers extends Asphalt Green’s long legacy of expanding access to swim instruction,” said Jordan Brackett, CEO of Asphalt Green. “This initiative shows how innovative public, private, and non-profit partnerships can break down systemic barriers that have left one in four New York City children unable to swim. We are proud to lead on this issue alongside Council Member Krishnan, Council Member Menin, the Gray Foundation, and our Wave Makers program partners.”
“New Yorkers rely on our beaches to beat the heat, and we need to ensure that beachgoers are safe in New York’s waters,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I applaud Council Member Krishnan for bringing free swimming lessons to Jackson Heights, and I hope that Mayor Adams and NYC Parks follow the Council Member’s lead by expanding free swimming lessons and aquatic programs across our city. Along with adequate lifeguard staffing and expanded operating hours, water safety education can help prevent more tragic drownings like we’ve already seen this summer.”
“Universal swimming access is not just a matter of convenience or leisure—it’s a matter of equity, public health, and safety,” said Sharon Greenberger, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York and Co-Chair of the Lifeguard & Aquatics Interorganizational Taskforce. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with our taskforce partner organizations, philanthropy and the City to find new ways to increase access to swim and swim instruction for all New Yorkers. We believe that we can make significant strides towards creating a city where every resident, regardless of background or circumstance, can dive into the joy and safety of swimming.”
Danielle Ellman, CEO of Commonpoint said, “As an organization dedicated to providing and helping our families and young community members hone vital life skills, we could not be more excited to launch the Wave Makers program! It’s so wonderful to be able to provide barrier-free, essential water safety instruction for our children and families, and we are so grateful for the partnership and support of NYC Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Council Member Julie Menin, and Asphalt Green and standing by our families.”
Shawn Slevin, Executive Director of the Swim Strong Foundation said, “I am excited to learn about the ‘Waver Makers’ program and to see free swim lessons being offered in communities with traditionally very little access to these opportunities! These types of programs coupled with the Governor’s and Mayor’s swim initiatives to renovate and build pool infrastructure are some of the building blocks we need to begin to create an aquatic culture here in New York City. We are a City surrounded and shaped by water. Our citizens deserve safe and equitable access to the knowledge and skills required to both enjoy the benefits water bring to us from a physical and mental health perspective; as well as to safely navigate and manage the risk that water also represents. Thank you, Council Member Krishnan and legislative colleagues, for your continued efforts in this regard. Looking forward to many more of our families learning these life skills!”
Kaitlin Krause, Executive Director of Rising Tide Effect said, “It is imperative that we reframe our approach to the drowning crisis. It is unrealistic to think we can simply close the ocean. Instead, we must make common-sense adaptations and take every possible measure to prevent harm. By enhancing our water safety initiatives—focusing on education, access, programming, and re-evaluating how and when we are guarding our shorelines—we can protect lives and ensure safer recreational and cooling environments for everyone in New York City.”
Nora Cronin, Program Director at Friends of + POOL said, “As New Yorkers prepare for another heatwave, our city remains plagued with reduced pool and beach capacity due to a lack of lifeguards. We call on city administration and agencies to urgently take action by removing barriers to hiring additional lifeguards for public swimming. Long term, we also encourage the city to fund programming through nonprofits like + POOL to help build more pipelines to the lifeguard profession. This is a solvable public health and access issue.”
PIX 11 – Swimming program ‘Wave Makers’ launched in NYC to prevent future drownings
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (PIX11) — In the wake of the tragic drownings of four teens at public beaches, local leaders are launching a new initiative aimed at teaching children how to swim in hopes of preventing future drownings.
Eight-year-old Shane was among dozens of kids Monday enjoying his day at the Garden School’s pool while getting free swimming lessons as part of a new swim program called ‘Wave Makers.’
“I love swimming so much,” Shane said.
The pilot program addresses the growing concern over water safety for the city’s youth, particularly in areas where access to swimming lessons is often limited. Shane’s mom, Fianna Avila, said learning to swim is a crucial skill.
“Once you learn how to swim, it’s like riding a bike,” said Avila. “You can never forget so it’s really important that they start really young so they have strong lungs and strong muscles and muscle memory so that way they can be able to take care of themselves.”
Two classes are offered weekly at the Garden School’s pool, serving more than 100 students. Right now, the pilot program is geared toward second and third-graders, and it is intended to expand to all ages, including adults.
The program comes as there have been four recent drownings at public beaches, including two teenage sisters at Coney Island earlier this month and two teens at Jacob Riis Beach in June.
“Four drowning deaths in the first few weeks of summer,” Council Member Shekar Krishnan said. “That is the same as the number of drownings we have had in all of last summer.”
Local leaders said the initiative is part of a broader call to action urging city and state agencies to improve safety at public beaches, including extending beach hours and lifeguard shifts past 6 p.m.
A spokesperson for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation said their security staff patrols the beaches and shorelines for several hours after the beaches close. They also added that other agencies, like the NYPD, operate drones over beach water after hours.
In response to inquiries about beach safety, a spokesperson for city hall said that the city has more total lifeguards at this point in the season (over 870) than it did at its highest total last year (850), meaning their efforts to hire, recruit, and retain lifeguards are working.
“One in four children in New York do not know how to swim, and those numbers are higher in black and brown communities,” said Council Member Julie Menin. “It’s simply unacceptable. As a parent, I have to say, no parent should be burying a child.”
The program currently serves around 2,000 students at private pools across the city with hopes of implementing the program at public city pools to serve even more swimmers.
CBS New York – New push on to teach New York City kids how to swim
It comes at a time when there have been several drownings and hundreds of rescues on the water this summer. CBS New York’s Ali Bauman reports
NBC New York – NYC parks launches swim lesson program
Ida Siegal reports on NYC park’s new free swim lessons for children.
