PRESS: Greater Philadelphia Y Teaches Teens to Swim, Save Lives and Get Hired

PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 21, 2026 – The West Philadelphia YMCA is helping young people become confident and capable in the water through three distinct aquatics programs: free swim lessons offered in partnership with Fab Youth Philly, a Lifeguard Bootcamp that prepares teens for employment, and the fast-growing GPY Swim Team. Each program serves its own group of participants, and together they help Philadelphia youth build life, leadership and workforce skills that extend well beyond the pool.

FREE SWIM LESSONS

Now wrapping up its second year, the West Philadelphia YMCA’s partnership with Fab Youth Philly provides free swim lessons to youth ages 15 to 19. Sixty young people are taking part in 2026, with about 20 in each session and a new group welcomed every session. The partnership will continue in 2027.

Fab Youth Philly identifies participants and pairs their time in the pool with workforce development focused on resume building, job applications and effective communication. The Y provides the swim instruction, giving participants an important lifelong safety skill.

LIFEGUARD BOOTCAMP

The Y’s Lifeguard Bootcamp, designed for youth and young adults ages 15 to 18, provides hands-on training in water rescue, CPR/AED, first aid, emergency response and risk prevention. Along the way, participants build confidence, physical preparedness and leadership skills that prepare them for future employment.

The program was created in response to an ongoing challenge facing Philadelphia’s public pools: having enough qualified lifeguards to safely open and operate pools throughout the city. The pathway is already producing results, as several current YMCA staff members previously took part in the program.

GPY SWIM TEAM

For young people ready to take their skills further, the GPY Swim Team has grown from more than 60 swimmers in its first season to more than 100 today, and this year a team member advanced to Regionals. Enrollment stays open year-round, so interested swimmers can join even after the competitive season has begun.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Drowning deaths have risen. More than 4,500 people in the United States died from drowning each year from 2020 to 2022, 500 more per year than in 2019. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Millions never learned to swim. Almost 40 million U.S. adults (15.4%) do not know how to swim, and more than half of adults (54.7%) have never taken a swimming lesson. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Access is not equal. More than 1 in 3 Black adults (36.8%) report they do not know how to swim, compared with 15% of all adults. Nearly 2 in 3 Black adults (63%) and 3 in 4 Hispanic adults (72%) have never taken a swimming lesson. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• First jobs build more than a paycheck. In a Boston study, teens who were offered a summer job were more likely than those who were not to report gaining a mentor (67.7% vs. 52.4%) and to graduate from high school on time (67.8% vs. 63.4%). Education Next / Northeastern University

“Swimming is more than an activity. It is a lifesaving skill, and for many of the young people we serve, it becomes a source of confidence, a first job and a path to leadership,” said Matt Student, Vice President of Operations for the Greater Philadelphia YMCA. “When a teen learns to swim, earns a lifeguard certification or competes on our swim team, they build skills that carry well beyond the pool deck.”

Together, these three programs reflect the West Philadelphia YMCA’s commitment to connecting people to healthier lives and creating opportunities for young people at every stage, from learning to swim, to becoming a trained lifeguard, to competing at a higher level.