NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Tennessee Aquatic Project (TAP) works to teach kids and teens not only how to swim but also how to scuba dive and become lifeguards. Kenneth Stewart started the project nearly 30 years ago.

”Even if you just learn how to swim and get the basics you will not be afraid of the water,” Stewart said.

The project started as a way to teach black males to scuba dive but it has since evolved.

”Looking at our numbers over the years at least 300 have come through the program,” Stewart said.

One of those kids now an adult is Savannah Williams. She joined TAP at 14 years old.

The Centers for Disease and Control (CDC) said black children are 1.5 times more likely to die from drowning than white children.

The CDC cites multiple reasons for this but they say the largest is the ability to swim.

Williams says she was in that number at first.

”For me, I did not know how to swim like so many of the kids in my community. One of the things in tap is you had to be able to tread water, you had to be able to swim a certain distance,” Williams said.

After joining TAP, not only did Williams learn a life-saving skill, but it also opened up her world to endless possibilities.

“I was exposed to the world of marine biology. My whole family life changed. My sister Sabrina became an aquatics facility manager for metro parks and rec. My brother also,” Williams said.

She went on to get her undergraduate degree in marine biology.

”I had no idea that I would still be doing it and the impact that we have made on the community,” Stewart said.

Still, he has continued encouraging parents to do whatever they can to teach their kids how to swim.

“There’s no reason why people can’t swim it’s just a matter of going over to your local community center and signing them up for classes,” Stewart said.

There’s a lot more to TAP than just learning to swim. Some of the older kids also take trips. They recently just got back from the Cayman Islands.

TAP goes from August to May and is for ages eight to 18. To learn more about how to get your child involved, go to their website.

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