According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of child injury deaths, second only to motor vehicle crashes. Public health professional Trish Miller makes a powerful case for mandatory swimming and water safety classes in schools and gives us a glimpse into the socio-cultural factors contributing to the higher incidences (4 to 6 times higher) of child drowning fatalities among African American children.
Inspired by her own near drowning experience as an adult, Trish founded SwemKids, an elementary and middle school swim and water safety program that equips black children and their families with the skills and the wherewithal to overcome socio-cultural norms about swimming. The program helps children develop a healthy relationship with the water by introducing them to it early and often.
Trish graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received a master’s degrees in business administration and
in public health from the College of William and Mary and Emory University, respectively. Public health professional Trish P. Miller founded SwemKids to keep children safe in and around water.
Inspired by Trish’s near drowning experience as an adult, SwemKids is an elementary and middle school swim and water safety program that equips black children and their families with the skills and the wherewithal to overcome socio-cultural norms about swimming. The program helps children develop a healthy relationship with the water by introducing them to it early and often.
Trish graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in economics and received master’s degrees in business administration and in public health from the College of William and Mary and Emory University, respectively. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx