Mothers everywhere know how hard it can be to take time for themselves. For Faduma Nur, a mother of six daughters, swimming lessons provided a chance to connect with her daughters but also allowed her to focus on something outside her family responsibilities.
“For the first time, I was learning, not teaching,” she says.
Faduma and five of her daughters recently participated in the Learn to Swim program, hosted by The Alliance (University of Waterloo Athletics and Recreation). The program is designed to promote swimming lessons to racialized people from the Kitchener-Waterloo community who have never had the opportunity to learn this important life skill.
The Alliance is a group of staff and students working together to create positive change for the Black, Indigenous and Racialized (BIR) community and combat racism through awareness-building, education and action. The group created the program in partnership with Warriors Varsity Swimming and Adventure4Change, an organization striving to provide accessible education and learning opportunities while building healthy communities.
Not only did the program teach Faduma and her daughters to swim, it allowed them to learn in women-only sessions where they felt safe and comfortable.
“My girls love the water but after a certain age we don’t swim with men,” Faduma says. “I’m grateful for the staff who understood and respected our religion.”
Jacky Beckford-Henriques is one of The Alliance’s co-founders and the Waterloo Warriors Swimming head coach. “The Learn to Swim program is one way we’re pursuing equity for everyone,” she says. “And the smiles on the participants’ faces have made it incredibly rewarding.”
Funding for the Learn to Swim program was provided by a generous gift from the Astley Family Foundation, made possible through the Waterloo Region Community Foundation. Team Aquatics and the Region of Waterloo Swim Club donated caps and goggles, and Jacky, along with members of the Warriors varsity swim team, taught the sessions.
“Our foundation focuses on projects that help youth build critical life skills, positive attitudes and self-esteem,” says Jennifer Astley-Kinsey, Executive Director of the Astley Family Foundation, which she founded in 2005 with her parents Bob and Judy Astley and her brother Derek.
“We know that physical activity can promote mental health, which is a big issue for youth today. Learn to Swim helps build a sense of inclusion and community for young people — and their moms — and we are glad to support the program again this fall.”
Faduma is looking forward to getting back in the pool in September.
“When I started, I didn’t know how to swim. Now I’m almost a professional, thanks to Jacky,” she jokes.
“And my family knows that my swimming lessons are Mom’s time.”
Photos by Alicia Wynter.
