SwimATX, a partnership between City of Austin, the YMCA and the Austin Independent School District in Texas, provides free swim instruction for students who want to become lifeguards. The goal is to develop their swimming skills so that they can pass the Red Cross prerequisites. Plus, they get PE credit.
An instructor goes over the fundamentals of swimming with students at Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School in Austin. Students generally come into the course with very limited water skills.
Notice the school bus in the background? In addition to covering the costs of the course and providing goggles and swimwear, SwimATX arranges for schools to deliver students to city pools during school hours.
In addition to giving kids lifesaving skills, SwimATX prepares students for job readiness. The City of Austin employs more than 600 seasonal pool staff each year. SwimATX serves as a feeder program for area aquatic facilities. Seen here are students from Lyndon B. Johnson Early College High School in Austin.