Boston Launches Free Swim Lessons and Lifeguard Training at Three YMCAs

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston launches free swim lessons for 300 children and lifeguard training for 60 teens as drowning deaths mount. Mayor Kim Janey announced the Boston Swim Safely Partnership Tuesday from the Roxbury YMCA, citing projections that Massachusetts drowning deaths will exceed last year's high of 125 and CDC data showing Black children ages 10 to 14 drown at 7.6 times the rate of white children the same age. The initiative — joining the City of Boston, the YMCA of Greater Boston, Boston Public Schools, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the Boston Triathlon, and the Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition — will offer free lessons at the Roxbury, Dorchester, and Hyde Park YMCAs, with a first session beginning November 1. James Morton, CEO of the Greater Boston YMCA, said the goal is to reach 300 children and certify 60 new lifeguards before summer, calling it "a bold and audacious objective." The partnership will also distribute soul caps designed for natural hair and conduct cultural competency sessions led by the Boston Harbor Women of Color Coalition to address multigenerational barriers to swimming.