Free Swimming Lessons Offer Haven for Ukrainian Refugee Children in Miami

When Nazarii Kosylo heard about Ukrainian families fleeing to the United States to escape Russia’s invasion, the former Ukrainian national champion and National Team member asked himself how he could help with their transition. His idea: free swimming lessons. 

Kosylo called up four-time U.S. Olympic medalist Lenny Krayzelburg, a fellow Ukrainian immigrant (while it was still part of the Soviet Union), who offered to host classes at his SwimRight Academy pool at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center (MARJCC) in Miami, Florida. So they posted online about free swimming lessons every Sunday for Ukrainian refugees, and the response was overwhelming: 47 kids ages 3-16 signed up.

Over the past couple months, Kosylo has seen the program’s benefits extend beyond just water safety for Ukrainian children affected by the ongoing war. 

“I saw how psychologically difficult it was for the children to adapt because, in Ukraine, they had friends with whom they could talk, scheduled activities, and school,” said Kosylo, a two-time All-American at Division II Wingate University from 2017-20. “In the U.S., they feel alien, don’t speak a language, and have no friends. For some children, it is tough to adapt to this new reality. Some kids had to evacuate, passing the bombings and shootings, too.”

SwimRight Academy’s Miami location was opened last year thanks to a partnership between Krayzelburg, former Ukraine Swimming Federation president Dmytro Kachurovskyy, and his daughter Katy Kachurovska. They plan to keep running Kosylo’s free swimming program for Ukrainian refugees as long as there’s demand for it, with the hope that the model might inspire other swim schools to develop similar initiatives.

“After all, some Ukrainians who immigrated to the United States do not have enough money to enroll their children in swimming lessons,” said Kosylo, a native of Sniatyn, Ukraine. “Swimming also helps the refugees forget the war, even for just the moments while they are in the pool, and they can make new friends, and perhaps one of them will be a famous swimmer someday.”

One parent, Margaryta Kolesnikova, said the program has helped her 5-year-old daughter adjust to her new home. Their abrupt departure from Ukraine turned into a tumultuous journey that brought them from Romania to Slovakia to Poland to Germany to Mexico City and a refugee camp in Tijuana before they boarded a flight from San Diego to Miami. 

“All my acquaintances claimed that the USA is not the best country for a refugee woman with two small children,” wrote Kolesnikova, who was also fleeing with her 1-year-old child. “It is very difficult to start a new life in this country because there is no help, you have to work a lot, and there are no free kindergartens. They claimed that there is nothing free here at all, and everyone may only care about themselves. But only here, on another continent, I was able to sigh freely and without fear, far from the country of the aggressor, which destroyed my whole life and plans for the future. And right here — in a country people I knew described as, ‘There, everyone is for themselves only’ — I met caring people who are ready to spend their time and energy to help Ukrainian children adapt, creating conditions for their development and leisure. And all this was absolutely free. 

“In the chat of Ukrainian refugees, I saw an invitation to swimming lessons, and when I called the specified number, I was incredibly surprised that the lessons were free,” Kolesnikova added. “After informing my daughter that she will now be engaged in swimming, I finally saw the child’s shining eyes again! My daughter goes to these classes with great joy and enthusiasm, she is no longer afraid to immerse herself, and at every opportunity, she shows what Nazar has taught her. In addition, it is communication with other children! My child and I are very grateful to all the caring people who organized and provided the opportunity to teach and develop our children, who give them joy and help them feel at home.”

Another parent, Nadiya Oreshko, said the free swimming lessons have provided much-needed physical therapy for her three children, who have each struggled with problems involving their musculoskeletal system since birth. 

“The children need constant physical therapy, and swimming in the pool is one of the sports that play a vital difference in their health,” Oreshko said. “We are very grateful to coach Nazar that he was able to organize a program of free swimming lessons for Ukrainian refugee children. The classes will help children not only develop physically but also overcome negative emotions.”