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People of all ages have the chance to join a free swim program, Learn to Swim, this summer.

This summer, the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation is offering free swimming lessons to people of all ages through a lottery system on its website. Through this lottery system, participants of all ages have the opportunity to win a spot in the free swim program, Learn to Swim. The classes are age categorized and are divided into sessions of two weeks which will be held throughout six outdoor city swimming pools. 

In promoting the program, the Parks Department says that learning how to swim prevents risks and improves your overall well-being. The department cited a 2014 survey by the American Red Cross which found that more than half of the American population cannot swim, putting them at severe risk of drowning, or getting injured in the water.

The Classic spoke to Townsend Harris High School students on their perspectives about summer swimming experiences.

“Swimming is a basic survival skill,” says rising freshman Namrin Zaman. 

Incoming freshman Aki Benjamin furthers that learning how to swim can be a fun experience and allow individuals to stay fit.

Rising senior Audrey Lin said that she wouldn’t have any reason to participate in the program because she already knows how to swim. Despite this, she said that she would definitely recommend the program to someone who has little to no swimming experience. 

NYC council member Shekar Krishnan said, “Learning how to swim is a crucial life skill and so many of our communities, especially communities of color [and] immigrant communities, do not have access to pools and many children do not know how to swim.”

Learn to Swim will continue classes through August 18. Though most classes currently have a waitlist, anyone can still sign up for the waitlist for the remaining classes.