Courtesy photo.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Almost 700 young scholars who are enrolled in the YMCA’s “Find My Genius” summer program from Moorpark, Simi Valley and Conejo Valley completed a five-session “Safety Around Water” (SAW) program that provides water safety and basic swimming skills to children ages 5 to 13 with little or no water experience.
To show off the scholars’ new-found water safety skills, the YMCA held “Dolphin Dash” events–two at the Simi Valley Family YMCA and two at the Yarrow Family YMCA where the scholars swam across the YMCA pool with the help of swim instructors. “Many parents were in attendance who saw their kids swim for the very first time,” says Brigitte Bonafont, YMCA senior aquatics director.
Find My Genius scholars are taking part in a five-week no-cost summer education and enrichment program for low- and moderate-income students who are not reading at grade level. SAW is included in the program.
SAW classes are held throughout the year and are open to all kids with little or no swimming experience. Community donations fund both programs.
To learn more about SAW and upcoming sessions, go to https://www.sevymca.org/safety-around-water. For questions, contact Bonafont at bbonafont@sevymca.org