Rock Sound, Eleuthera, Bahamas — The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) campus pool in Rock Sound was abuzz with excitement as young swimmers participated in a special showcase marking the end of the Learn to Swim Summer Program organized by One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF). Parents leaned forward with cameras in hand. Siblings applauded gleefully from the pool deck. Swim instructors cheered from the sidelines. Younger children who had approached the pool with hesitation just weeks earlier now entered the water with confidence. Older children proudly showed off their refined swimming and diving skills. As the showcase came to a close, participants accepted certificates and special awards, their smiles reflecting a quiet sense of accomplishment.
Held from June 22 to July 17, the four-week program gave 73 children between the ages of 5 and 14 the opportunity to develop essential swimming skills under the guidance of 10 instructors and five volunteers. From blowing bubbles and mastering kicking techniques to swimming with kickboards, learning freestyle and backstroke, retrieving objects underwater and rolling safely onto their backs to float, each lesson was designed to help participants become safer and more confident in the water.
For Acting Chief Program Officer Steffon Evans, the program, now in its sixth year, has evolved into much more than a program to teach people how to swim. “It is about equipping Bahamians with a lifesaving skill in a country where the ocean is part of our daily lives,” he said. “Statistics have long suggested that as many as 90 percent of Bahamians cannot swim, making drowning prevention and water safety one of the most important public safety conversations we can have in an island nation.”
Evans believes that the confidence children develop through the program extends well beyond the final showcase. By equipping young people with skills and building greater appreciation for the marine environment, the program helps prepare them to safely explore the many opportunities that life in an island nation can offer.
Two participants are already demonstrating how the program can become a springboard to greater achievements. Tyliah Morley and Quinae Carey, who have participated in the program for the past four years, continued their training with Rev. Allison Dean of Lightning Aquatics Swim Club. Earlier this summer, they went on to compete in the 54th Bahamas National Swimming Championships in New Providence. At just 10 years old, they were the only swimmers representing Eleuthera, competing in the 4 x 50-meter and 4 x 100-meter relay events.
Tyliah would tell you that when she first joined the program, her swimming skills were limited to the doggy paddle and she was afraid to put her face in the water. She still laughs about the day Rev. Dean, one of the program’s instructors that year, gently but firmly guided her head beneath the water’s surface. Tyliah jokingly says that Rev. Dean “drowned” her but admits that was the nudge she needed to overcome her fears. “It gave me courage, and I said, ‘I can put my face in the water. I can learn how to swim. I can do these things,” she added.
That courage served Tyliah well when she stepped onto the blocks at Nationals.“Honestly, I was so scared. When Coach [Dean] said I could go to Nationals, I was just very nervous, but luckily, I did the best that I could. I was very, very nervous because those girls are fast, but I just jumped in and I went all out,” said Tyliah.
Quinae’s experience was much the same. “I did not know how to swim at all. I was a complete beginner,” she explained. “In the first year, I learned all the skills, and in my second year I was placed in one of the advanced groups. I just kept getting progressively better.” Asked to reflect on Nationals, Quinae said that she was proud of her performance but was already looking ahead to future meets. “I felt we did a good job. I swam to the best of my ability, but I didn’t do as well as I wanted to. I have to work harder to be better next time,” she noted.
Rev. Allison Dean said that she is proud of how Tyliah and Quinae performed at “the biggest swim meet in the country.” While the girls did not return home with medals, they delivered strong individual performances and contributed to an impressive overall team effort.
“That is what I always try to emphasize to swimmers. If you have done the best that you can do, then you should be happy because that is success,” Rev. Dean explained. “Some years we will win a medal and other years we will not win a medal. The important thing is to do your best job and be pleased with yourself, knowing that you really tried and put in that effort.”
Competitive swimmer, 14-year-old Knahla Mackey, has come full circle since joining the program as a participant in 2021. This year, she returned as a swim instructor, encouraging nervous beginners while guiding intermediate swimmers through drills. As Mackey accepted a gift during the final showcase, cheers from swimmers and fellow instructors made it clear she had become a trusted mentor.
“I’m here because I love the Learn to Swim Summer Program. I absolutely love being an instructor, and I like working with kids. They can be chaotic sometimes, but they are adorable and their jokes are hilarious,” said Mackey. “But I also think it’s very important that I give back to the camp. 2021 was my first year living in Eleuthera and the camp was very welcoming. It’s a place where I got to meet friends and adults who I consider family now.”
“One Eleuthera Foundation has all of these programs that feel like one big family, especially this one. It’s not just a camp to wait out time in the summer. I have to say that this is one of my favourite summer camps,” she explained.
According to Evans, swimming instruction is only one part of the program’s mission. Equally important are the on-land water safety lessons taught daily. Participants learned essential safety habits, including always asking permission before entering any body of water and never visiting a pool or beach without a parent or guardian. They also learned how to play safely around the water. These lessons reinforce that preventing accidents begins long before anyone enters the pool.
“Our hope is that every child who completes this program leaves not only safer than when they arrived, but also more confident, more curious and better prepared to thrive in the country they call home,” said Evans.
Since its launch in 2021, OEF’s Learn to Swim Summer Program has served 463 participants. The program is supported by the Cotton Bay Fund for South Eleuthera. While children make up the majority of participants, the program also welcomes adults. Held at the CTI pool each year, the four-week program is open to participants between the ages of 5 and 65, with youth lessons held throughout the day and adult lessons in the evenings. What began as a program to reduce drowning risks has grown into a beloved community initiative to equip Eleutherans with lifesaving skills and expand access to opportunities in the blue economy. For many participants, however, the program’s greatest impact is gaining the confidence to step into the water, and into new opportunities, with courage.
For more information about the work of OEF and CTI, visit www.oneeleuthera.org or contact info@oneeleuthera.org
