Back to the swim of things, New York City beaches opened last week and with them comes the annual reminder of disparities in water safety. The CDC has said that Black youth face significantly higher rates of drowning deaths compared to white youth, especially in public pools, which open locally on June 28.
The NYC Parks & Recreation Department’s Learn to Swim program—often credited for democratizing water safety for young Black and brown New Yorkers—returns for the first time since 2019. A spokesperson estimated there will be about 1,000 spots among six outdoor pools. A Learn to Swim summer camp will have room for around 400 youngsters. An online lottery to participate can be entered into on the NYC Parks website. The program served more than 20,000 youngsters pre-pandemic, according to the New York Times.
While the absence of swim classes last year hasn’t carried over to this year, the root problem of a nationwide lifeguard shortage has. For a second year in a row, the city reported missing the targeted seasonal staffing number.
“We know how important access to our pools and learning how to swim is to New Yorkers across the city, and despite a national lifeguard shortage that has continued to shutter pools in cities across the country, we’re doing all that we can to recruit as many lifeguards as possible,” said Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue by email. “We’re fortunate that here in New York City [that] we were able to open all of our pools and beaches last summer, and we’re committed to doing that again this summer, but after an aggressive recruitment campaign over the winter, it is now abundantly clear that we must continue to plan long-term for the lifeguard shortage as we build back our corps to pre-pandemic levels.
“We also understand the grave importance of teaching the next generation to swim, for health and safety and to build a pipeline for the next generation of lifeguards. Our focus has been to devise a sustainable plan for the continuation of summertime swim lessons and access for camps that least impinges on public access to pools.”
One potential pipeline for fresh faces comes from the YMCA of Greater New York, which formed the NYC Lifeguard Interorganizational Task Force last year to address the city shortage. The Y is currently offering to train and certify locals for free. The program also provides a stipend for those participating in training and a bonus to graduates who take a subsequent job at the Y. Local director Romulus Staton told the Amsterdam News that responsible and in-shape New Yorkers with the ability to swim should consider taking up the opportunity.
“Our certification starts with people coming in taking a pretest to make sure that they are meeting the minimum qualifications to participate in the course,” he said. “You can wear glasses, contact lenses, as long as you’re using them while you are working…[we teach] them the skills that they need to keep people safe [and] make quick, correct decisions on what they see in the water so they can either prevent something from happening or react properly.”
The program is for New Yorkers ages 16 and over—young applicants can participate if they hit the minimum age by the end of the certification course. At the Harlem YMCA, Staton’s colleagues pointed out the location’s history with the local community and subsequent drawing power in improving Black water education.
Beyond water safety, lifeguarding also offers young New Yorkers a summer job during the vacation months when youth violence is the highest. First- and second-year city lifeguards earn north of $20/hour, the Parks Department announced earlier this year.