Students from Dellwood Middle School have been given the chance to experience swimming lessons thanks to the generosity of iSwim Bermuda.

Approximately 90 M1, M2, and M3 students, including 10 ASD students, have gained access to fully funded structured swimming lessons at the National Sports Centre, with the aim to create inclusive, accessible, and sustainable aquatic opportunities for Bermuda's youth, while helping to nurture the next generation of swimmers.

Thanks to the generous full sponsorship of private donors, the pilot programme officially launched on May 25, with Dellwood serving as the inaugural partner. The pilot phase will evaluate the programme's feasibility and scalability, with the long-term vision of expanding access to every middle school in Bermuda by September.

Chayce Smith, physical education teacher at Dellwood, has been amazed by how his students have taken to the programme as he feels a love of swimming has been lost to the younger generation.

“Back in the day we swam a lot off North Shore, off South Shore and everybody had some sort of technique,” Smith said.

“You knew how to do front crawl and backstroke but this generation seem to not have the fundamentals of swimming. They seem to still be afraid of the water and parents are afraid of their children swimming, so we had a real hard time to get people to sign up and register.

“They were reluctant because they weren’t sure of their child’s strength or level of their swimming ability. But what we see here is children who probably can’t afford this programme usually learning how to swim the correct way.

“They are earning how to breathe properly in the water and how to swim for distance, so if they ever are out at sea, they'll be comfortable enough to get back to land.

Smith is thankful for the donors that have made this opportunity possible for schools on island that may lack facilities.

“This only comes about because of the generosity of some people with big hearts and a bigger vision,” he said.

“They don't just see it as people going swimming, they see it as a life skill, they see it as something important and something essential if you live on an island.”

iSwim Bermuda is founded by Elisha Miller and thanks to a partnership with Stephanie Kemp, facilities manager at the National Sports Centre, this scheme has been able to get off the ground and both are thrilled to give back to the community.

“With a background in competitive swimming for Bermuda, I am passionate about giving young people the opportunity to discover the joy and confidence that comes from being in the water,” Miller said.

“It is important to me that every student who is interested in swimming has the opportunity to participate, regardless of financial circumstances. I firmly believe that a grass roots approach is essential to securing the long-term future and sustainability of swimming in Bermuda.

Partnering with Stephanie on this initiative was a natural fit, as we share the same vision for growing and strengthening Bermuda swimming. It has been an honour and privilege to work with these students. Seeing the excitement and happiness on their faces — particularly for those experiencing swimming or even being in the water for the first time — has been truly special.

After more than 30 years in coaching, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has supported and continues to support this journey.”

Kemp is delighted that she has been able to play a part in the programme.

“After hosting interschool swim meets at the NSC it became clear that Government schools do not always have the same opportunities in access to swimming and water safety education as those in private schools,” Kemp said.

“I reached out to Elisha at iSwim about creating a government school swim programme. She immediately embraced the idea as it was something that she had hoped to develop for some time.

The National Sports Centre and I are looking forward to developing this programme alongside Elisha and seeing the positive impact it can have on students in our community. A huge thank you to Elisha, our instructors and everyone who has helped get this programme off the ground through their support, donations, and encouragement.”

• For more information about the programme, contact Elisha Miller at iswimbermuda@gmail.com