Private Story
Joy of water
Summary
New York is a seaside city where learning to swim is a luxury, inaccessible to a large portion of the population. There is a lack of access to water safety skills, especially for the BIPOC communities: a very serious public health concern, due to the need for effective cooling measures to combat increasingly severe heat waves, and risk of drowning. Citizens and associations have taken charge to offer free water safety education, and give access to water sports like surfing. Sharing the joy, confidence, empowerment that water can give to New York youth is the purpose of this work.
As of today, it is still difficult for parents who work to give time to bring their children to the rare public pool during opening hours, afford swim lessons or time at the beach.
Several associations around New York, have taken in their own hands to teach children water skills and get over their fear. Like the volunteers of Black Surfing Associations in the Rockaway: they teach them to gain confidence in the water by surfing. Since a year, I have documented the incredible empowerment and change it can gives in the life of these children. One girl, Libby came out of the water from her first-time surfing, saying: “I did not know a Black girl could surf!”. Eleven years old, Caramel: “I was so afraid of surfing, but they pushed me to go far. Then I succeeded in doing it and thought, why was I so scared? There was nothing to be scared of! I am still learning to swim but I know how to surf.”
Thanks to the Alexia grant, I will continue to follow all the youth learning with Black Surfing Rockaway, but also contact other associations such as Black people can swim, Surfrider , Rise Rockaway, to document their multiple efforts, from spring to autumn 2022 , on the beaches of New York.
I will invest in waterproof equipment to be immersed with the children in the water, and give a closer view of their experience. I will work on the exhibition project to bring it to places of visibility like New York children's museums and libraries so to raise awareness and let the family and children know that they can easily learn to swim and surf right here, at no cost. Learning to feel safe in the water brings a joy, a sense of connection to nature and community that is more than essential for the future of New Yorkers.
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