Newcastle: A Splash of Colour Swimming teaches culturally diverse women to swim

And as women from across the globe dive headfirst into swimming for the first time, they've proved to themselves that a seemingly impossible task can be accomplished with small, steady efforts.

Splash of Colour Swimming is the brainchild of Ennia Jones, a Zimbabwean woman living in Newcastle who's made it her mission to help women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds how to swim.

"I did my first triathlon in February and while I was training for it, I noticed all these women here at The Forum sitting there watching their kids in the water," she said.

"So I went up and asked if they could swim, or do they swim - it was either 'no' or 'I'd like to but I'm too scared' or 'I don't like the way my body looks so I don't even think about it'.

"That's when I thought, 'you know what, I think I can do something about this'."

For many Australian children, learning to swim is a right of passage - it's a ticket to pool parties, sandy feet and a hot summer's day on the beach.

But for these women, backstroke or freestyle is a completely foreign experience.

Growing up in land-locked countries isn't the only barrier they have faced, for some there's a real fear of the water, others need help finding modest togs.

For every 'no' or 'I don't think I can do this' Ms Jones receives, she's got an encouraging word or an answer.

"To pinpoint it, I'm reaching out to culturally diverse women and the majority of them are parents or carers," she said.

"I call them the 'forgotten group' because they aren't out there doing stuff for themselves, they've usually got families and responsibilities and that's why offering childminding for example was a game changer for some of them.

"It is literally culturally and linguistically diverse, in this group now we've got women from Colombia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Uganda, Ghana, Zimbabwe and India - it's a really beautiful melting pot of people."

Among those in Ms Jones' class is Clara Modi-Wole, a single mother of three who grew up in South Sudan.

She's been in Australia for 15 years and was never offered swimming lessons or exposed to the water as a child.

Now, she's the first person in her family to learn how to swim.

"I wanted to learn how to swim so I can help myself in an emergency, I also want to enjoy the water and show my children how to swim," she said.

"This has really helped me to be more confident, I still have a lot to learn but I feel comfortable about being in the pool now.

"A close friend recommended the program to me and it is so good to learn to swim with other women - it's so much fun."

So far, 60 women have graduated from the free, 12-week program in Newcastle and Maitland, with another 300 on Ms Jones' waiting list.

The youngest participant was 23 and the eldest 65 and Ms Jones said it's never too late to learn.

Next year she plans to run a new cohort in Lake Macquarie, with the help of a $2000 donation from the council.

Part of the reason she started it is because of a tragic story she read in a newspaper years ago about an extended family, people of colour, who went on a picnic.

"One of the children got trapped near the river and five of their cousins went to help - six children drowned that day, and the parents didn't know how to swim," she said.

"There's that element of helplessness, that always sort of stayed with me.

"I think as a mum that really just stayed with me."

The confidence women grow during the program isn't the only benefit, parental modelling plays a significant role in how children approach new experiences.

So far, 70 per cent of the women who complete the program enrol their children in swimming lessons.

"It's just an amazing outcome, and that's what secretly I was hoping for," Ms Jones said.

"You'll find that if mum's confident enough to be in the water with their bub, chances are the kids will do it too."

Social inclusion is a major part of the program - women not only tackle their fear of the pool but forge new friendships too.

Those who took part in the most recent lessons at Maitland now meet up and pay for lessons on their own.

"It's just beautiful to see those new friendships forming," Ms Jones said.

"It's really rewarding, just watching them develop their confidence and the skill of swimming.

"When someone takes like three or four strokes, that's a big deal. We make a big deal about that and we celebrate every little milestone."

The not-for-profit program is free of charge and funded through donations.

For more information visit splashofcolourswimming.com.au.

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