This is part two of two of a blog on water safety education, sharing how Three Rivers implemented the first family water safety workshops.

Read part one to learn about how Three Rivers got to the point of piloting these water safety workshops.

Piloting Family Water Safety Workshops

By the end of the pilot year in June 2025, Three Rivers and V3 Sports will have hosted a total of 10+ workshops, each 3-4 hours long and reaching up to 250 people.   

The First Family Water Safety Workshop

The first pilot of the Family Water Safety Workshop took place in February 2024 at the Brooklyn Center Community Center since V3’s facility was still being constructed. Three Rivers Community Liaison, Ruby, connected members of the Liberian Community to this initial smaller-scale pilot workshop to test-run participant reactions to the model.   

The initial program was a success in that it provided an experience for many young people to build their confidence in the water. Several young people learned how to hold their breath under water while others learned skills like floating on their back or a new swimming stroke. Participants shared that the workshop made them feel strong and capable while the experience was fun and eye opening.   

There were also valuable lessons learned about encouraging the involvement of parents, caregivers and other adults in the workshop programming. One key insight was the importance of initially separating the adults and young people during instructional time. This allowed the adults to focus on their own learning while the younger participants could concentrate on developing their skills independently. 

V3 and Three Rivers went back to the drawing board to envision how future pilot workshops could serve these families even better based on their feedback and put the new and improved workshop into action for the next round in early May. We knew we would keep listening, learning, and adjusting throughout the pilot year. 

The Second Family Water Safety Workshop

On May 11, 2024, the very first day that V3 Center’s new pool was open to the public, a group of 17 participants from 4 families came out for the next Family Water Safety Workshop. Families were recruited through Giving It a Voice, a partner that Three Rivers has been working with to host monthly engagements in the parks since September 2023.   

Reactions at the Start of the Workshop

At the start of the workshop, staff members from Three Rivers Park District observed a noticeable sense of anxious energy in the room as participants introduced themselves. As participants shared their past experiences with water and expressed their hopes for the day, there was a clear sense that the anxiousness was a blend of excitement and apprehension. However, this energy was also tempered with a sense of hope and anticipation for what the workshop might offer. 

One mom said with determination: “This is the 'Land of 10,000 Lakes', and I should be able to get out and enjoy them,” which was received by applause and nods of agreement around the room.  Three Rivers staff noted an empowering energy from participants, including openness and curiosity to be in the water together. This was the day to move from saying “I swim in the shallow end,” a sentiment shared by many, to gaining more confidence in the deep end.   

Clinic Instruction and Getting in the Water

After some further conversation about current beliefs related to swimming and being in the water, participants changed into their swimsuits and met down by the pool. Before getting into the water, families walked around the pool with V3 staff and talked about water safety related to water depths, recognizing signs of a swimmer in distress, and practicing techniques for saving someone at risk of drowning. Participants then split into two groups—adults on one end and kids on the other—to begin building confidence and skills in the water.   

It was a true honor to witness the transformation in action. Participants were soon practicing all sorts of water-based skills: finding calm breaths and blowing bubbles in the water, flipping to their backs and floating, bobbing up and down, swimming underwater, and more. V3 Sports staff were spread-out and supporting participants in their own learning process, depending on their needs at each moment.   

After more than an hour in the water, parents and kids came together to show off what they had learned. They clapped for one another with huge beaming smiles across their faces. They then had time to play together in the water. The joy was palpable.   

Clinic Participants Reflection on the Experience  

In a reflection circle at the end, participants responded to a prompt asking how they had shown courage that morning; there was a wide variety of responses including, "I showed courage..." 

• “By getting out of my comfort zone.”
• “By getting into the water.”
• “By showing up with my kids and trying something new.”
• “By not giving up.”
• "By going underneath the water.”
• "By saving people.”
• “In leading by example.”   

As participants came back into the classroom after leaving the water, Giving It a Voice Founder, Detra Miller, called out to one of the moms: “I’m proud of you, Inez!” The mom responded: “Yeah, I’m proud of me, too.” That energy rippled throughout the room. There was a sense of accomplishment, of overcoming a fear and gaining new confidence and skills. 

As V3 Center staff opened the room for feedback, participants shared appreciation and lessons learned. The following were comments shared across the room:  

• “It was traumatic for me, but I overcame that with your help. If your goal was for us to get more confident in the water, that goal was met.”
• “My sons have done swimming lessons, but they’ve never understood water safety.”
• “I was really nervous about breathing underwater, but you kept encouraging me, and now I get it.”
• “Now I’m more confident in water when I cannot touch the bottom with my toes.”
• “It was nerve-wracking at first, and then I was talked through it. I can see the growth in myself, and I’m proud of that.”
• “I learned how to play in the water.”   

The resounding feeling in the room was: we’ll be back for more. And with the connection to Three Rivers, the intention is that families continue their water-based experiences and skill building while participating in activities at the parks. For instance, Giving It a Voice families have monthly engagements across the parks—this past summer they had a camping trip at Baker Campground where participants were swimming and fishing at Lake Independence, and many tried stand-up paddleboarding and logrolling at Fish Lake Regional Park.   

In this overall partnership, V3 Sports has the water safety knowledge and instruction, the Three Rivers community liaisons and partnering organizations hold the role of trusted messenger and relationship bridge, and Three Rivers offers that continuation of knowledge, extending to outdoor environments and other water-based activities.   

Next Steps for Water Safety Opportunities Through Three Rivers

Since launching the pilot year of Family Water Safety Workshops, Three Rivers secured additional funds to continue these water safety opportunities throughout the next couple years with a goal of offering 20 additional family workshops in partnership with V3 Sports by June 2027.  We also aim to provide opportunities for community liaisons and partners to participate in a lifeguard preparation course allowing them to encourage and teach water safety within their communities and, hopefully, at Three Rivers Park District locations. 

Throughout the process, staff and partners will intentionally build pathways back to the parks to continue accessing and enjoying water-based experiences. And the results of the water safety audit, which gathered information on existing water safety partners and resources in our service area, was completed and shared with staff in October 2024. The report shared findings of water safety opportunities and gaps in suburban Hennepin County, serving as a vital resource in continuing to define our role in meeting this urgent and ongoing community need. 

We anticipate that there will be countless opportunities for collaboration and growth as we all move towards finding creative solutions to increase water safety awareness and skills so that more individuals can have access to parks and recreation opportunities that were previously hindered by barriers to water safety.

The water safety initiatives and community engagement discussed in this story are supported by the Youth Water Safety Grant program administered through the Minnesota Department of Education, Statewide Health Improvement Partnership administered through Hennepin County and the Equity Grant Program administered through the Metropolitan Council.

Community Violence Prevention funding through Hennepin County allows Three Rivers to partner with and support Giving it a Voice.