After a successful pilot project last year, TRUSU’s Learn to Swim program continues in 2024 on the heels of a summer where multiple drownings took place in and around Kamloops.
Beginner swimming lessons at the Canada Aquatic Games Centre take place every Tuesday and Thursday of the semester and are open to all TRU students upon registration.
“It is a learn-to-swim program for students [who] do not know how to swim. We try to [schedule sessions] every month, depending on availability,” TRUSU Services Coordinator Simranjit Aulakh said.
Aulakh and TRUSU oversee the logistical components of the program – such as handling admissions, while TCC instructors provide lessons at the aquatic centre.
After seeing a waitlist with 50 names appear following the September 2023 pilot project version of this program, TRUSU decided to make this a permanent fixture offered on campus each semester.
“The response that we got […] was quite overwhelming. It indicated that there was a need for something like this,” Aulakh said. “We had all the lessons booked in a day or so.”
Students with a valid UPass have free access to the Canada Aquatic Games Centre, which Aulakh said would not be useful to those who can not swim. This was part of the project’s inspiration.
According to Aulakh, the majority of participating students have been international.
“Many international students may not come from areas [with] access to open waters or even a swimming pool. So they [may] never get the opportunity to learn how to swim,” Aulakh, a former international student himself, said. “British Columbians have access to so many open lakes…[so,] they have more opportunities to learn how to swim.”
Throughout the summer, there were multiple drowning-related incidents in the city, including one instance in July where a local man helped rescue two struggling international students from the Thompson River.
“There have been unfortunate incidents wherein students have drowned here in the city. We definitely want to make sure such incidents do not happen, and this program has hopefully benefited students in that way,” Aulakh said.
Although participants are required to pay a $50 deposit to register, the deposit is returned in full once students attend all 10 scheduled lessons during the semester.
Cohorts of six students register for each course, which runs for 10 classes. Two cohorts run concurrently, with a new session launching near the beginning of each month.
Students interested in joining future cohorts can register using the TRUSU website’s Wellness Series section.