I heard of a cool program offering some lucky kids swimming scholarships here in Antigua. For more info check this little blurb from the Swalings School of Swimming. I hope this will mean more young local Antiguans will be sending us applications for positions with
Adventure Antigua in the future.
Swalings School of swimming are working in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports to make swimming a part of the national youth sports program. As part of this initiative, this November, Swalings along with their sponsors Intertops have set up a scholarship program for 150 pupils to learn to swim or improve their swimming for free.
In this the initial season for the swimming program, the scholarships will be available in 3 secondary schools, Jennings Secondary, Otto’s Comprehensive and The Grammar School. There will be 50 scholarships available per school.
The objective of the scholarship programme is to get as many children in Antigua learning to swim as possible. Its a well known fact that we have 365 beaches yet the majority of Antiguan’s cannot swim, Swalings wants to change this believing learning to swim has many benefits for people not only health reasons but also in the job industry and enjoyment. The water has so much to offer weather it be sailing, windsurfing, fishing, a lazy day at the beach, swimming competitively however before you can enjoy any of this you have to be able to swim and be safe in the water. Swalings emphasises water safety and will not only be teaching children how to swim but how to be safe in the water and what to look out for.
It is hoped in the next few years the scholarship programme will be available to some 2000 school children a year. Swalings are seeking sponsorship from doners who want to support the project.
Swalings is also working in conjunction with the new National Sailing Academy that is offering free sailing lessons to all school children. Swalings will be teaching any pupils wanting to sail that can’t swim to swim first so their parent s will have peace of mind the children will be safe in the water.
It is also hoped through this programme aspiring swimmers will be able to swim competitively in the swim teams and go on to represent Antigua at the OECS games, Carifta and eventually the Olympics.