Breaking down barriers so everyone can be water-safe.
Our Mission
Maine Community Swimming breaks down barriers to swimming by providing financially accessible and inclusive programs, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to become water-safe. Through education and community engagement, we strive to build a water-safe community, fostering a safer and healthier society and promoting lifelong water safety.
Film Screening:
When Everyone Swims
A Story of Resilience, Equity, and the Power of Water
Thursday, April 30th, 2026 at 6:00 p.m
Merrill Auditorium, Portland, ME
Join us for a special community screening of When Everyone Swims, a feature-length documentary that explores the vital, life-saving importance of water literacy. Through powerful personal narratives and insights from Olympic athletes and water safety experts, the film highlights why access to safe places to swim should be a universal right, not a privilege.
By sharing stories of triumph and resilience, When Everyone Swims celebrates the healthy, life-affirming relationship that individuals from all backgrounds can build with the water. Explore the movement to break down barriers, prevent drowning, and ensure that in our community, everyone swims.
Tickets: $10 suggested donation at the door. Your contribution directly supports local aquatic programming through Maine Community Swimming.
About the Film: 90 min | Documentary | English
To learn more about the inspiration for this film, check out Diversity in Aquatics: A network to help save lives. Diversity in Aquatics aims to educate, promote, and support swimming, water safety, and healthy aquatic activities for underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable populations. We are committed to eliminating drowning disparities and increasing representation in aquatics by creating inclusive opportunities, building community partnerships, and fostering lifelong skills that empower individuals to be safe, confident, and engaged around the water.
This event is proudly brought to you by a coalition of organizations dedicated to community health, recreation, and the arts:
Our Programs
1,500 lessons taught
315 people served
46 volunteers engaged
500 volunteer hours clocked
18 organizational partners
Our programming provides water safety education and swimming lessons ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to learn essential swimming skills, regardless of their background or abilities. By making swimming education more accessible, we intend to reduce the risk of drowning incidents, particularly among those who may face barriers to accessing traditional swimming programs.
Connect
Schools with local swim lesson providers and partners, both municipal and nonprofit.
Provide
Water safety education materials and water safety instructor programs that are culturally relevant and trauma informed.
Share
Events, perspectives, and stories to build awareness around the need for water safety education in our communities.
Our Community Partners
At Maine Community Swimming, we believe our partnerships make us stronger. We are grateful to many organizations for their collaboration that makes our work and programming possible.
Testimonials from Our Community
“Over the past few weeks, we’ve worked hand-in-hand to break down barriers to accessibility, educate, and challenge stereotypes around Black/Immigrant communities and water safety…From limited access to facilities, lack of culturally relevant education, to stereotypes that have long discouraged participation-these barriers can be life-threatening. That’s why our partnership with Maine Community Swim has been so crucial. Together, we’ve provided a safe, supportive environment for everyone to learn and grow.
We’ve seen participants of all ages make incredible progress, gaining not just swimming skills but also confidence in and around the water. Thank you to everyone who joined us, supported us, and believed in the power of community. Let’s keep swimming towards a future where everyone has the skills and confidence to stay safe and enjoy the water!”
“It’s really a good thing for the Maine community especially for the newcomers who want to know how to swim for their safety and also to have fun.”
— Swim Lesson Participant Eugenie Mukankwiro
