May 30, 2024

The Nile Swim Club is more than just a place for recreation, leisure, education, and wellness. It's a vibrant community hub that welcomes individuals and families, providing a safe space for youth to develop healthy relationships and thrive as future leaders. The Nile cultivates the human spirit, nurturing family and community unity, and embracing diversity and inclusivity.

The story of the Nile Swim Club began with several African American families in the 1950s who lived in Yeadon, a predominantly white town. When these families tried to join the local swim club, they discovered their applications had been discarded. In response, they decided to create their own swim club. Within 18 months, they bought a property, and many mortgaged their homes to afford it. Through fundraising and collective effort, they opened the pool in 1959, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of race, drawing members from the Philadelphia area and beyond. Celebrities like Harry Belafonte and the Supremes visited, and later, hip-hop icon DJ Cash Money and actor Will Smith got their start at The Nile as MCs.

In 2019, the Nile Swim Club began offering swim lessons as part of their "No Child Will Drown in this Town" initiative, providing free swim classes to everyone. This program has been very successful. Over the past two years, they collaborated with a member who works at the Autism Institute to host specialized Autism Swim Days, creating sensory-friendly swim times. Due to the positive reception, they started an Autism Swim Clinic, allowing 20 kids to receive 45-minute lessons. These classes are held outside of normal swim hours so that the classes are quieter and there is a smaller group of children. Holding space for autistic and neurodivergent children has become a key focus. Aqua is sponsoring The Nile swim classes this year.

Parents often bring their children to these swim classes despite needing to learn how to swim themselves. Seeing their children excel brings them great joy, although some parents feel nervous due to their own lack of swimming skills. The Nile Swim Club addressed this by increasing adult swim programs, achieving a 98-99 percent success rate. Last year, they taught more than 800 kids how to swim, ensuring financial barriers are removed by charging only $5 per class and allowing participation even without the fee.

The program primarily serves African American children, and most of the instructors are also African American. This representation helps children feel comfortable and connected. Parents are grateful for the program, noting success where other swim classes have failed. The club designed an accelerated 10-day program to ensure retention and mastery of basic swimming skills.

Looking ahead, the Nile Swim Club aims to expand its Autism Swim classes to a 10-day program model. Funding and scheduling remain challenges, as the club only has one pool. Future plans include building a second, heated, or covered pool to offer year-round programming, significantly increasing the number of children they can teach to swim. To support the Nile Swim Club and its mission, consider donating. For more information about their programs and classes, visit The Nile Swim Club website.