” I learn to swim to keep me and my daughter save.”

Mariana  (26) from Syria is a teacher for Arabic languages and came to the Netherlands around three years ago. She participated in the Buddy to Buddy project where she got in contact with Tessa who introduced her to the swimming classes.
Mariana already tried to learn how to swim as a child but stopped because she was too afraid. Although it is a lot harder to learn swimming as an adult, she is very motivated and is making great progress. “The Netherlands has a lot of water which is nice but also dangerous. I learn [to swim] to keep me and my daughter save.” Besides the safety aspect swimming is also important to her to socialize, have time for herself and for her physical and mental health.
After doing her A diploma, Mariana wants to keep practicing if possible and go to the beach in Den Haag with her daughter to enjoy swimming outside in the sun.
What makes the project so special in her opinion, are all the amazing and brave people that support and encourage each other to reach their goals and overcome their fears.“Especially Tessa is always there to encourage us and gives us a boost of energy.” Mariana hopes that the swimming project can grow and that more people will support this unique program.

“I like swimming, and I want to swim perfectly.”

Harun (22) is from Yemen and has been living in Utrecht for just over a year and a half. Harun learnt about Swimpact through a contact from Plan Einstein, who directed him to the coordinator of Swimpact. After Harun applied a few months ago, he has finally been able to attend the swimming lessons for a month now. Within this month Harun has improved his swimming skills immensely and thus he expresses “I feel excited when I swim, it’s really nice. I can’t describe it. It’s honestly one of my hobbies.”

Harun expresses that he could not have done this without the help of all the staff members at Swimpact and the pool; “The people, [and how] the coach helps us is very memorable”. They are so friendly and helpful”. When Harun had his first lesson he could barely swim, but now he can see himself improve every week and hopes to continue swimming even after obtaining his diplomas. “I like swimming, and I want to swim perfectly.” Harun’s aim is “to just swim like Dutch people. A lot of people here can swim perfectly. They swim at school, they swim with friends”. Harun is eager to make swimming a skill he excels at in his life in the Netherlands. He is a step closer to this by attending the lessons offered by Swimpact, and thus would recommend it to many others. Unfortunately, due to some capacity restraints, Swimpact is experiencing many waitlists but Harun is hopeful; “If there is a chance for other people, I would recommend it, of course.”

“Don’t be scared and give it a try, because eventually you won’t be scared”

Alya (35) has been living in the Netherlands for 5 years with her two daughters in Kanaleneiland, Utrecht. She works at De Kleine Prins in Utrecht, a regional school for special education for children with long-term illnesses, where she keeps the children company and helps with their growth.

She decided to start swimming lessons around 4 months ago, having no experience swimming previously in her own country. However, she thought it important to learn how to swim for her own safety, she says, because you never know what could happen, especially in a country with a lot of water.
Though she was a little held back by fear in the beginning of her journey, she’s learned to love the water and also made a lot of progress in her swimming skills. She now enjoys swimming, especially swimming on her back. To her, swimming is more than just a sport. Swimming gives her a feeling of peace, connection with other participants and accomplishment overall. She also agrees that affordability is an aspect that encouraged her to follow the lessons of Swimpact.
The supportive and welcoming environment of the swimming lessons is also something that is important to her. When she feels challenged and motivated in the group, she feels like she makes the most progress. The idea of learning new things and having fun in the water is why she always looks forward to the next lesson.
After getting her A diploma, she plans to continue swimming for her own enjoyment with the friends she made, and is also open to help and encourage new members with their swimming journey. When asked what she would like to tell people who are scared to swim, she says to “not be scared and give it a try, because eventually you won’t be scared”. Taking the first step goes a long way, and with the help of others they can overcome their fears, just like her.

Ik dacht “Ik ga deze diploma’s halen. Ga door.”

Amer (35) komt uit Syrië, en woont nu bijna 4,5 jaar in Nederland. Door Amer’s betrokkenheid met de organisatie ‘Buddy to Buddy’, is hij in contact gekomen met Stitching Swimpact. Amer is begin september begonnen met zwemmen, en heeft afgelopen november zijn zwemdiploma C gehaald.

“Ik vind het lekker om in het water te zijn.” Ondanks dat Amer al eerdere ervaringen had met zwemmen, heeft hij niet eerder zoveel technieken kunnen leren als bij Swimpact. Dit geeft hem veel meer vertrouwen om in het water te zijn, en kan hij zich nu volledig ontspannen. Een van de grootste uitdagingen voor Amer was leren zwemmen met zijn hoofd boven water. “Het was uitdagend en ik vond het spannend”. Met begeleiding van de zwemcoaches, vrijwilligers en steun van andere deelnemers is het Amer toch gelukt om in iets meer dan twee maanden, met een les per week, zijn zwemdiploma’s te halen.
“Ik vind het (Swimpact) heel nuttig voor deelnemers, en door de andere deelnemers voel ik me erg echt prettig”. Amer benadrukt hoe belangrijk het voor hem is om met een groep samen te leren zwemmen; je bent meer gemotiveerd en krijgt de steun van anderen om door te gaan.
Een van de meest bijzondere momenten die Amer heeft ervaren, was tijdens het diploma zwemmen. “Toen ik het laatste deel van mijn examen aan het doen was, met schoolslag, keek ik vooruit en ik dacht “Ik ga deze diploma’s halen. Ga door.” Nu dat Amer zijn diploma’s heeft gehaald, wil hij graag instructeur worden en dus een opleiding doen om zweminstructeur te worden. Wel liggen de prioriteiten van Amer eerst bij het helpen van Stichting Impact en de deelnemers.
Amer raadt aan dat iedereen leert hoe ze moeten zwemmen; zowel het overkomen van je angsten en het verbeteren van je zwemtechnieken zijn essentieel voor iedereens gezondheid. “Ik heb hier heel veel gepraat met mijn lichaam”. Vooral in Nederland, omdat er overal water is, is het enorm belangrijk om goed te leren zwemmen, en dat iedereen de mogelijkheid heeft om zijn diploma’s te halen.

“Voor mij is zwemmen speciaal. Het is gewoon even vakantie.”

Yordanos  (23) uit Eritrea is inmiddels 6 jaar in Nederland en had (school)zwemles toen ze op het ISK (internationale schakelklas) zat. Toen ze 18 werd en naar MBO ging hielden de zwemlessen voor haar op. Het duurde 4 jaar voordat ze weer zwemles kon volgen. Haar contactpersoon van Vluchtelingenwerk heeft haar in contact gebracht met Swimpact en nu heeft ze haar zwemdiploma A gehaald.

“Voor mij is zwemmen speciaal. Het is ook veilig natuurlijk, het is een waterland Nederland. Maar ik vind het ook erg leuk! Iedereen kan spelen in het water, dat wil ik ook. Als ik in het zwembad ben, vergeet ik alles. Soms kom je [naar de les] met een druk leven, of met werk, soms is iets niet gelukt. Dan ben je bij het zwembad, ben je actief. Het is gewoon leuk. Het is gewoon even vakantie.”
Nu Yordanos haar zwemdiploma A heeft wil ze graag met haar familie naar het zwembad. Haar broertje heeft ook een zwemdiploma, haar moeder nog niet. “Ik heb haar beloofd dat ik haar ga helpen en ze wil graag ook hier zwemles, maar ze is bang.” Yordanos haar ambitie zijn groter dan alleen haar moeder helpen. Eerst wil ze haar zwemdiploma B halen en daarna wil ze graag andere helpen om te leren zwemmen.
“Veel mensen willen graag [leren zwemmen] maar ze durven niet […] sommige mensen zijn bang, héél bang voor water. Ik wil ze helpen durven, een beetje energie geven. Ik ben ook buitenlandse, ik was oud toen ik leerde zwemmen. Er zijn veel mensen zoals ik, het is goed als ik ze help. Nederlanders hebben niet dezelfde ervaring als wij.”

“As a refugee you have a lot of stress and swimming in the water just gives you a good feeling”

Narges  (44) from Iran worked as a lawyer and came to the Netherlands five years ago. COA informed her about the swimming project and because she loves water, she gladly joined the class last year.

“I saw all the people in the Netherlands swimming in the open water in the summer and enjoying and I told myself: I also want to do that.”  Before she joined the project, Narges was already looking for swimming classes but they were all very expensive and the waiting lists were long. Swimpact was a great opportunity to start right away.
It is so important to her to learn swimming because water and swimming is as much part of the dutch culture as the language, so accomplishing this skill is an important part of the integration process.
Narges also knows from her own experience that swimming can help with certain health problems and is, for some people, the only sport they can do. “I have a problem with my back. When I walk into the water my back gets better.” According to Narges swimming is so important especially for refugees because “[…] as a refugee you have a lot of stress and swimming in the water just gives you a good feeling.”
Because of that she hopes that the project keeps on growing so more people can take swimming lessons and relief their stress and just enjoy the water.

For herself Narges also has plans for her future. She wants to do her A diploma and then swim outside in a lake or the sea and with her motivation and determination she soon will.

“When I come in the swimming pool, it is medicine to my body.”

Moses came with his contact person who put him into contact with the coordinator of Swimpact, Tessa.

Moses expresses it “By that time when I came, [I was] really on ground zero, I did not know how to swim and feared the water”. Today however, as time has passed, Moses is able to express himself as “Today, I am happy and I am improving.” Being able to swim means more to Moses than just improving his swimming technique. He voices himself “When I come in the swimming pool, it is medicine to my body.” From the moment Moses has started swimming, his hospital visits have decreased significantly, making swimming a remedy to his joints.

Swimming hasn’t been a challenge-free experience for Moses; “when I lay on water with my stomach, it is too difficult for me”. This however, isn’t stopping Moses from learning more as he expects “it will come with time and all the help from you guys [the Swimpact staff and coaches]”. Moses feels happy about the environment and the staff present as “everyone is good, they are all good and perfect”. The most memorable moment that Moses can trace back to is the day that Moses first learnt how to dive and retrieve an object in the pool. “I looked everywhere and I was alone. It was scary, but at last I got it. I got it, I came up with it, and it was a good moment for me. One I will never forget.” Improvements and new steps as such contribute to Moses overall experience with swimming. “Water is life”, is a conclusion that Moses can now make. Moses is “extremely happy and proud to swim because it is part of my life now”.

Moses is eager to continue swimming and “ready to go for another opportunity”. There are many opportunities here [in the Netherlands] to use swimming in your daily life, and Moses hopes to be able to pick that skill up. Moses encourages others to swim here, explaining how swimming is more than just a hobby or sport, but it is an important part of life, especially here in the Netherlands.

“I always have this dream that I can swim in a lake. I just jump in and swim.”

Ghada  (40) from Yemen came to the Netherlands around four years ago. She studied English, worked for multiple NGOs and loves volunteer work. 

In the Buddy to Buddy program she worked with Tessa who told her about the swimming project. Due to a very busy schedule, she wasn’t able to join the swimming class from the beginning. She was able to make time for the class and is now part of the class since September. “Now when I apply for a job I tell them I can’t work on Tuesdays. That day is reserved for swimming.”
In here home country she, like many others, wasn’t able to learn how to swim. In Yemen swimming classes are not part of the education system and especially for women there are only few places where they are allowed to swim. But now that she has the opportunity, she is determined to learn how to swim and overcome her fear.
One of the reasons Ghada is afraid of water is the fear of loosing control, the swimming lessons are a way of gaining control over the situation. Because water is everywhere in the Netherlands, learning how to swim is not only important for safety reasons but also for the integration process.
Other benefits of this project according to Ghada are the opportunities to get to know other people, overcome potential trauma, gain confidence and a way of relief from daily stress and struggles. “[Swimming] is good for your bodies and mental health”.
Ghada is working hard to achieve her goal to get her A diploma and she already has a plan what she wants to do as soon as she can swim safely on her own.“I always have this dream that I can swim in a lake. I just jump in and swim.”
For the future of this project Ghada hopes that the project spreads to other cities so more people are able to feel the confidence, relief and fun that she was able to experience in this project.

“Swimming is an amazing sport for everyone, both women and men. I would recommend it to everyone”, 

Tarek (37) is both from Syria and Lebanon, and has been in the Netherlands for exactly a year and a half now. He lives outside of Utrecht, but commutes to the city of Utrecht everyday for his daily activities. Tarket learnt about Swimpact from the organization ‘Welkom in Utrecht’.  Tarek had no prior experience with swimming, and started in his lessons in May 2023.

Swimming has made Tarek feel good, he describes it as an awesome sport. He has been wanting to learn since he was a kid, but could’t due to some fears of the water. Now, however, he confidently expresses himself and says “Now I am good; not good enough, but I am good and I can swim”. Tarek describes how his fears from water comes from the fact that he was only able to learn how to swim when he was older, and not from a young age onwards. Whilst starting with Swimpact however, “It has improved too much, you can’t imagine. How I started and how I feel myself, is way better.” Tarek explains he still is still facing two challenges; “Floating in the water and breathing while I am swimming. These are my difficulties. But I think I will be better when time passes.” 

One of the biggest accomplishments that Tarek has achieved is that he can now swim different styles, including freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. “And now I am also learning how to swim in the deep, and how to float in the deep. Last session, we started swimming in the deep end, and today again I will”. By taking the steps one by one, Tarek is confident he will become a good swimmer.

“They are amazing. They are all kind and the staff and coaches here are amazing.” Tarek is pleased with the environment and group present during the Swimpact lessons, emphasizing how the variety of the participants contributes to the welcoming sphere. There are participants from Syria, Turkey, Africa which diversifies the group immensely. “The first time I came here I was really scared. Really, I was scared when I came here.” Tarek was able to overcome this initial fear however by sharing a laugh with the group. “They taught us how to do the starfish so that we can float. Our friend here, he dove to the bottom, and really hit the bottom like a starfish. It’s a joke now, we can all laugh together and now call him a starfish. This moment has stuck with me.”

Tarek is currently working towards obtaining his A diploma. Once he has accomplished this, he hopes to swim professionally and swim all the different styles. He is eager to be able to swim in an olympic pool, and swim four or five laps confidently. “I do a lot of sports, but this is what I miss.”
“It’s really useful to everyone who cannot swim. Even those who can swim actually, they will learn how to swim better and become pro.” Tarek has recommended Swimpact to a lot of his friends. He has invited many of his friends to come talk to the coordinator, some of which have already been admitted and others who are now on the waiting list.
The Netherlands is surrounded by water, whether it is the ocean, lakes, or canals. Although it is not essential for integrating into Utrecht, Tarek believes that with the abundance of water activities in the Netherlands, learning how to swim is essential for everyone’s safety, health and enjoyment. “Swimming is an amazing sport for everyone, both women and men. I would recommend it to everyone”, 

“[Swimming is] a way of killing stress and relaxing, trying to put all the troubles behind and just enjoy the activity.”

Loic  from Uganda studied communication and came to the Netherlands almost three years ago. Her contact person from the AZC introduced her to this project and she stared swimming in April.

As a child Loic almost drowned and has been afraid of water ever since. Instead of turning away she is now facing her fear. Not only is she overcoming her trauma, she started to see swimming as a hobby and fun activity. “[Swimming is] a way of killing stress and relaxing, trying to put all the troubles behind and just enjoy the activity.”
Loic is determined to get her A diploma and after that she just wants to have fun in the water, swim by herself and support others that are still learning. She already has big plans for the summer. She hopes that by than she will have the confidence and ability to swim in the ocean. For the future of this project Loic hopes that there will be swimming classes on different days for more flexibility.
Furthermore she wished there was more advertisement for the project because she knows a lot of people that would love to learn how to swim but haven’t heard of this project. Something Loic is worried about is that if she has to move (which is quite common in her situation) she can’t attend the swimming lessons anymore.Therefor she would love to see the project in different cities