by Deb Eastwood
The Sandals National Learn to Swim Week, held last week, successfully taught 726 different swimmers across 14 locations, including Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
Deb Eastwood, Director of the Get Grenada Swimming Initiative, was genuinely impressed with the Site Supervisors who manage each location and sang their praises. “We were very involved with over 10 camps this year, with as many as 50 swimmers showing up from a summer programme in Telescope and also a karate sports camp at Grand Mal. The Site Supervisors adapted and reconfigured swim groups and broke the attendees over several hours, rather than one, and were able to bless everyone with swim lessons. One Site Supervisor, Sophia Ireland, on the first day of swim week, had her whole car smoke and then completely burn in flames upon arriving at Paradise Beach in Carriacou. Despite the trauma and loss of all the swim gear in the car fire, Sophia was back at teaching lessons the next day!”
The week also included lessons for both children’s homes, a special ed programme, and a youth group called Pathfinders, which had some of their girls acquire a swimming certification to receive badges from their organisation.
Eastwood was super grateful for Sandals Foundation, which was sponsoring this event for the fifth year in a row and sponsors the critical Certified Swim Instructor Level II classes. 57 Certified Swim Instructors have graduated from the course over the last 5 years.
Swim Week is finished, but there are 2 more weeks of swim lessons available through the Ministry of Sports and the National Sports Council with the Holiday Recreational Programme, Flame 2.0. The swim lessons are being taught through 25 July in collaboration with Get Grenada Swimming, which will offer the lessons in at least one location in every parish. Sorry, no classes in Carriacou.
- Grand Anse, Camerhogne: Site Supervisor Val Andrew 405-6152
- Grand Mal, across from SOG: Site Supervisor Kevin Philips 421-1835
- Gouyave, behind Fish Market: Site Supervisor Sharm Ashton 416-8105
- Sauteurs, Breakwater: Site Supervisor Nixon Edwards 537-3035
- Telescope, near the bathrooms: Francilla Philbert 403-7637
- Corinth, Grenada Marine: Site Supervisor Catherine John 459-2393
- Petite Martinique, Morang Beach: Site Supervisor Erine Benjamin 421-6650
- St Mark: Will be bussed to Sauteurs. Call Sandra Jarvis 421-9538
The classes will be held at 9 am, 10 am, and 11 am, the same as last week. Please register at this link to attend these classes. More information on the Get Grenada Swimming programmes may be found by calling 404-5237 or emailing [email protected].
Get Grenada Swimming
