The Black Swimming Association (BSA), was founded by Danielle Obe, Seren Jones, Ed Accura, and Team GB OIympian Alice Dearing in March 2020 with a single commitment to be the bridge between the aquatics sector and disenfranchised communities of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in the UK.
Why did you start The Black Swimming Association, and about the problem you wanted to solve?
BSA is a non-profit organisation set up to raise awareness of water safety education and drowning prevention amongst African, Caribbean and Asian communities across the UK.
We do this through education, research, consultancy and participation.
Three years ago, when the four co-founders came together, there was a joint acknowledgement around the lack of water confidence and aquatic skills that existed in racially diverse communities, especially amongst Black-Brits.
As a result, these communities were, and continue to be, disproportionately impacted by accidental drowning.
As four individuals of African descent living in the UK, we wanted that to change.
But, although there was a clear need for an intervention in this space, at the time there was very little evidence to support the demand that existed.
Since our inception, internal and external data has been commissioned showing the stark need for such initiatives to be championed.
For example, Sport England (2020) highlighted that 95% of Black adults and 93% of Asian adults (excluding Chinese adults) did not participate in swimming activities regularly, compared to 89% of White British adults in England.
Similarly, 80% of Black children and 78% of Asian children did not engage in swimming activities regularly, compared to 71% of White British children.
Notably, the underrepresentation of people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage in swimming and aquatic spaces, and their lack of vital water safety knowledge, places these communities at high risk of drowning.
Recent evidence from the National Child Mortality Database reveals that Black children experienced the highest drowning death rate between 2019 and 2022, followed by Asian children. Notably,
Black children were three times as likely to drown, compared to White children. Therefore, the importance of tackling this issue has never been clearer.
Since the inception of the BSA, we have been striving to ensure that ethnically diverse communities in the UK have equitable access to vital water safety education, drowning prevention, and the benefits of aquatics.
Today, our research and insights team commissions research with external partners to better understand the behaviours, attitudes and relationships of these disengaged communities with the aquatic sector.
Our consulting and strategy team work with the sector - governing bodies, government agencies, local authorities, brands and other charities to influence policies, educate, and create a safe platform for authentic collaboration to address inherent systemic and institutional inequalities which prevent equitable access and inclusion for all.
Our programme delivery team carries out pool-based water-safety sessions for non-swimmers.
Our Together We Can© (TWC©) initiative exists in a number of boroughs across London, as well as Kent, the West Midlands and cities in South Wales.
It aims to teach participants to be safe in water; to be aware of potential dangers; and most importantly, to prevent drowning and save lives.
As a by-product of their learning over the five-week course, most of our participants (many of whom are extremely aquaphobic and novice) end up learning how to swim unassisted and progress on to taking up other water-based activities and sports such as sailing, canoeing, kayaking, open water swimming and even swimming teaching.
It’s a win-win and clear evidence of not just the HUGE latent demand that exists within ethnically diverse communities, but also the great impact addressing inequalities could have in sport.
How did you first start out creating classes to encourage members of these communities to take up swimming?
Firstly, we wanted to publicly acknowledge that learning to swim does NOT mean you’re exempt from drowning. Indeed, there is evidence that around half of those who die from accidental drowning are deemed to be swimmers.
Moreover, as we were aware of the learn-to-swim programmes that already existed in pools and leisure centres across the country, our goal was to do something different and really make a difference for our communities especially those who ordinarily wouldn't consciously consider taking on swimming or swimming lessons as a vital life-saving skill.
TWC© does exactly that. The BSA’s water familiarisation and orientation programme has three main aims: to provide crucial water safety education; to develop water confidence; and to improve aquatic competence and prepare participants to engage with the aquatic sector.
We’ve created an inclusive, safe environment, where people of all ages can access water safely and feel comfortable in their own skin.
Not only do we advocate for water safety education during our sessions, but we also highlight the physical, mental, economic and social benefits that swimming and other aquatic activities have to offer.
This is more than just a learning experience, for many, it’s also an empowering and therapeutic one, where assumptions are challenged, and fears are often overcome.
We want our participants to feel comfortable in the water and we want their experiences with us to overshadow previous negative ones they have endured.
We want their BSA experience to be something that is shared with their friends and family.
We want to engage them and excite them, so that swimming and water safety becomes something they actively choose to commit to and see through, from beginning to end.
How do the insights from the #OurSwimStory research relate to the BSA's TWC© programme?
Alongside the delivery of TWC©, the BSA commissioned the pioneering research project, #OurSwimStory, which investigated the attitudes towards, and the experiences of, water safety and aquatic activity among ethnically diverse communities in the UK.
The #OurSwimStory research was conducted in partnership with AKD Solutions (an organisational change consultancy) and identified significant barriers to safe aquatic engagement.
Notably, a lack (or limited) water safety awareness and aquatic skills were identified as two key barriers to participation.
48% of survey respondents weren’t aware of how to stay safe in water, whilst 37% of survey respondents indicated that improving their aquatic skill would contribute to an increase in their engagement.
As such, one of the research recommendations highlighted the need to increase access to water safety knowledge and skills sessions for ethnically diverse communities.
TWC© provides individuals with the opportunity to develop their water safety knowledge and aquatic skills alongside others from their communities, which there is a clear latent demand for, as evidenced by #OurSwimStory.
Notably, we are starting to observe participants recommending the course to their friends and family members.
This ripple effect reveals the potential of the programme to tackle the generational deficits in water safety knowledge and aquatic skills evidenced by #OurSwimStory, and embed these vital lifesaving skills within communities.
Every participant who participates in TWC© means we are moving another step in the right direction.
How does the BSA and the classes you provide women with a safe, inclusive, social space, where they thrive and continue to keep active?
Our classes are designed to be safe, social, suitable and inclusive for all our participants, many of whom are women.
At the BSA we take pride in the safe and supportive atmosphere we create in all our sessions.
Firstly, all of our qualified teachers are in the pools with the participants at all times, as we exercise a sensory-based teaching method.
Moreover, all of our teachers are women, and the majority of our teachers are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, which allows the participants to see themselves represented.
The facilities we use are carefully selected to ensure they provide adequate privacy; this provides our participants with a safe and confidential space to express their concerns, fears and even traumas related to previous experiences in water.
Crucially, the emphasis is placed on what individuals can rather than can’t do, which creates an empathetic and supportive environment whereby no participant is left behind.
Participants are encouraged to progress at the comfort of their own pace, whilst also being pushed to learn new skills and challenge their bodies and minds.
What challenges did you face when first launching the BSA, and how did you overcome them?
When first launching the BSA, there was a lot of controversy regarding our specific focus on communities of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage, with some arguing that this approach was exclusive.
In fact, the BSA is deeply committed to inclusion for all. However, there is clear evidence that people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage are underrepresented in swimming and aquatic spaces, and are less likely to have vital water safety knowledge, and as such our primary focus is on supporting these communities to engage with water safely.
During the times we are faced with adversity, we always remember our vision and the impact that we are making with and for our communities.
What are your plans to continue to improve or adapt moving forward?
At the BSA, we are committed to a culture of learning, continuously aiming to improve and adapt based on the needs of our community.
Notably, the BSA aims to collaborate with a wide range of partners to implement the #OurSwimStory recommendations and ultimately equip disenfranchised communities with the knowledge and skills necessary for safe aquatic participation.
Moreover, we are planning to expand the delivery of TWC© into more locations from 2024 onwards, with a focus on those who are most marginalised.
Indeed, the BSA places emphasis on being inclusive of the intersectionality within ethnically diverse communities, and is committed to ensuring that all children and adults (with a wide range of intersecting identities) have equitable access, feel included, and have a safe and quality experience in, on and around water.