The Programme

Charity, the Canal & River Trust, is working to encourage people from more diverse backgrounds to access the nation’s historic waterways. After some community engagement and listening to the lived experience of staff within their own organisation they found that it is very common for black people to have little or no water confidence due to never having learnt to swim. This is one of the barriers in people accessing more activities such as walking, paddle boarding or canoeing next to the waterways. Swim Sista Swim is a programme funded by Sport England and set up by Canal & River Trust and partners to give Afro-Carribean women, who are unable to swim free access to 10-week swimming lessons. The aim is to gradually build water confidence so that over time the participants would feel able to take part in other water-based activities, such as canoeing, and enjoy spending time by their local waterways.

The group sessions involved one-hour swimming lesson and one hour of socialising every Monday for 10 weeks. Participants learnt about water safety, proper swimming techniques, and work to overcome fears. The programme had around 30 women take part and by the end of the course many women were learning to dive in and swim full lengths, which filled the women with pride.

The course was a resounding success and we’ve taken a ‘dive’ into the experiences and lived experience of women around the water, haircare, overcoming fears and embracing confidence.

We’ve learned about the importance of workforce representation and empowering those people to speak up about issues important to them, We learned about the challenges faced by Black women in learning how to swim, including societal beauty standards, cultural taboos, and lack of access to resources. Collectively, the speakers emphasized the importance of collective action and support in addressing these challenges, sharing the many benefits of creating tailored spaces and the many benefits that can come from them.

I always thought, I want to go for swimming lessons, but I’ve always thought, oh, I look stupid. I feel stupid. I’m older. I’m in my late 30s. I was thinking, What would other people think? Me swimming in a swimming pool? At my big age? Not only that, there’s a taboo, when it comes to black people, So it’s just like, Oh, there’s another black person that can’t swim. But then I thought you feel more comfortable with your own people.

It’s not to be racist or anything. It’s just that sense of your community, because they understand your roots, where they’re coming from. But also it’s just like, there was no swimming caps for us – my hair would get wet. I have taken a very long time, to even get in. And also thinking about going to swim, I can’t see my own people there. I just feel ridiculous and self-concious. So when this came up, and I saw the name Swim Sista Swim, it was really encouraging.
It just caught my attention.
Oh, and then when I went, I was really nervous. I went to the same library, where we met for the first time, and I just saw all these women that didn’t know each other, talking to each other. And someone spoke to me like, Oh, hi. And I just thought it just put you at ease. They’re just like, oh, we’re all in the same category. So that sense of having your own people sharing that same thing and not feeling self concious, or stupid when we all go in the water!”
Serah

Hair Care

Hair Care is a huge deal! The struggle in relation to swimming is real for Afro-Carribean women. Here are the top five barriers around hair for black swimmers from our research:

Chlorine damage: There’s a concern that chlorine can damage or dry out black hair, especially when people embrace their natural hair, colour hair or chemically treat their hair.
Time-consuming: All this preparation for getting hair wet while swimming often requires extensive styling and drying time afterwards, which can be a deterrent. Tighter curls can retain water for a long time after getting wet. Afro hair is naturally very dry and many women cut it short because of the amount of attention it often requires.
Lack of suitable swim caps: Traditional tight swim caps often don’t accommodate natural black hairstyles, therefore they don’t protect the hair adequately. But there are newer products available that can help with this, such as Soulcap swimming caps. Many people weren’t and still aren’t taught how to properly care for their hair before and after swimming and so better all-round education needs prioritising.
Self-consciousness: Some individuals feel uncomfortable or self-conscious about their natural hair texture when wet, especially in predominantly white environments and have experienced unwanted attention from people with different hair types. This is especially true for children in schools, who can face pressure or unwanted attention regarding their hair in swimming environments.
Limited product availability: Historically, there were few hair care products designed specifically for black swimmers’ needs, but this is slowly improving in larger retail spaces.

This is just a brief overview, as with many things there is more to learn than five top tips and we encourage people to follow their own intuition on all these points. We encourage more learning to help develop truly inclusive and equitable offers.

“As with maybe used to happen and these groups may have been advertised as BAME or something similar. That’s not welcoming. But, when I saw the name of this group ‘Swim Sista Swim’ I knew this group was for me. I could tell it was for my people, I knew I wouldn’t have to explain myself.” Serah

“It’s wonderful to have that time, that space and that connection with others. It’s so rare to be able to make friends and do something positive.” Attendee

“I’ve never had access to a provision that was just for black women. It’s wonderful. It feels life changing.”. Black female instructors: Having instructors who understand specific concerns related to hair and body image helps build trust and comfort. Attendee

Focus on Sharon (Participant)

Sharon is a 59-year-old woman who, cautiously joined the programme and found herself in tears during the morning of the first session thinking she would not be able to do it. Sharon has struggled with learning to swim for most of her life. As a black woman growing up in a predominantly white area, she faced various barriers and challenges that prevented her from becoming a confident swimmer. Issues around hair care, feeling self-conscious about her body, and a deep-seated fear of water all contributed to her inability to learn this important life skill. She managed to persevere by realising there were many others in the same position as her.

Sharon initially struggled with swimming due to fears around water, hair care issues, and feeling self-conscious as a larger black woman among predominantly white peers.
The pre-program meetings and workshops were very helpful in preparing Sharon mentally and practically for the swimming sessions. This included learning hair care tips, understanding the program structure, and addressing her mental barriers.
Despite initial struggles and emotions, Sharon persisted with the program and started practicing swimming on her own as well. This helped her gain confidence and skills.
Sharon emphasised the importance of having a safe, supportive space with instructors and participants who shared similar experiences and backgrounds. This made a significant difference compared to her previous unsuccessful attempts at learning to swim.
Overall, the program helped Sharon overcome her fears, gain swimming abilities, and feel more confident about accessing water-based activities. Sharon now swims 50 lengths multiple times a week, has lost a lot of weight and generally feels more confident then she has done in years.

How do we do this?

How can we create safe spaces which empower more black women to develop the confidence to learn to swim?

Representation: Seeing other black women swimming, especially at the same time. Seeing ‘people like me’ swimming provides inspiration and breaks down stereotypes.
Supportive community: Groups like Swim Sista Swim create a welcoming environment where black women can learn and grow together without feeling self-conscious overcoming the first and biggest barrier of them all. The success of this group lies in it being only for black women, co-created demographic specific sessions can be key to engaging with our most inactive communities.
Authentic: The attendees spoke about how the name and the spelling of it was authentic and resonates with them perfectly. It’s authentically produced by the right people with the right lived experience. (Quotes on this above)
Culturally sensitive equipment: Products like Soulcap swimming caps, designed for diverse hair types, make swimming more accessible and comfortable.
Education: Learning about water safety, proper hair care techniques, and dispelling myths empowers women with knowledge and confidence.
Body positivity: Swimming in a group of similar body types helps reduces self-consciousness.
Addressing generational fears: Supporting people to overcome psychological barriers passed down from parents and grandparents who may not have had the opportunity to swim.
Skill development: Gaining swimming skills and water confidence contributes to overall empowerment, a sense of achievement and self-esteem.
Cultural reclamation: Recognising swimming as a life skill and challenging the notion that “black people don’t swim.”
Peer encouragement: Support and motivation from friends and fellow swimmers to continue improving and trying new aquatic activities.