Grenada Youth Adventurers, in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports, awarded Sinikka Fisher of Sauteurs, the Swim Instructor of the Year for 2019.
Fisher has had a huge impact on swimming in Sauteurs with free swim lessons at the Breakwater Project on Saturdays and on Tuesdays with schools from St Patrick and St Mark. She received the Swim Instructor of the Year award at the recent Inter-Beach Competition in front of her peers and some of her swim students. Previous winners of the annual award include Nataly Regis (Head Swim Coach, Ministry of Sports) Kevin Phillips (Mt Moritz) and David and Linda Wright (Bathway).
These exemplary service awards recognise swim instructors, coaches, volunteers who have contributed to the “Get Grenada Swimming” initiative to teach 8,000 children to swim by 2021. As of the end of 2019, more than 5,600 children have been taught in the GGS programmes.
The criteria for receiving a Swim Instructor of the Year Award are:
1) Must be involved in giving free swim lessons
2) Must have shown exemplary service in the growth of a particular beach or area in Grenada
3) Must be working to continue to develop themselves and others in swimming
Fisher embodies all of these wonderful qualities. She grew up in Sauteurs and after a long sabbatical in London for college and university, she returned to her hometown wanting to make a difference. In 2017, with the development of the Sauteurs Breakwater Project, she started volunteering to teach swimming lessons for the children in the local primary schools. That soon expanded to the secondary schools and even out of St Patrick to the parish of St Mark. On Tuesdays, you can find her in the water non-stop from 10:30 am to 3 pm teaching classes, with up to 60 children taught on any given Tuesday.
Fisher formed a non-profit organization called “Generations to Come” dedicated to helping young people in Grenada. Their aim is to alleviate poverty through education. An example of this was last summer’s 6-week, all day summer camp that she organised for the Sauteurs youth. She also began community swimming on Saturdays under the Grenada Youth Adventurers umbrella in 2017 and has developed her own swimmers into instructors to help her with the Saturday morning free lessons. Initially trained by Nataly Regis, Head Swim Coach, Ministry of Sports, she has taken every opportunity to develop herself including taking a certified Red Cross lifeguarding class to make sure her swim students stay safe. She recently expanded her Saturday programme and began working as a swimming teacher for the Ministry of Sports. She meets all the criteria for the Swim Instructor of the Year Award and is very deserving of this award.
The “Get Grenada Swimming” initiative has just ended the third year of its 5-year programme and has ten locations throughout Grenada which offer free swim lessons on Saturdays. Adults and children (above the age of 6) are invited to attend.
Saturday Free Lessons
- Bathway 9-11 am: David/Linda Wright 442-0495
- St David, Grenada Marine, Corinth 9-11 am: Catherine John 458-3474
- Grand Anse 9-11 am in front of Umbrellas: Deb Eastwood 404-5237
- Grand Mal 10 am-12 pm in front of the Go Cool Steps: Camme Roberts 417-8399
- Gouyave 10 am-12 pm in front of the fish market: Sharm Ashton 421-6702
- Waltham Beach (North of Gouyave) 2-4 pm: Korah Ashby 410-0208
- Sauteurs Breakwater 9-11 am: Sinikka Fisher 422-9880
- Carriacou (Lumbadive) 2-3 pm children, 3:30-4:40 pm adults: Diane Martino 443-8566,
- Birchgrove (Mellows) 9-11 am: Lovell Alexander 416-1226
- St Andrews, Hope Beach 9-10 am: Naddy Mitchell 449-8984
For more information go to www.getgrenadaswimming.com or call Deb Eastwood at 404-5237 or email: debeastwood@gmail.com
Grenada Youth Adventurers
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