Shakopee Parks and Recreation Department has been recognized with Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association's (MRPA) Award of Excellence in Programming conducted in 2022. 

The idea for this program came about from a community member and active aquatics participant in the fall of 2021. Together staff worked with East Middle School to develop a swim lesson/water safety program for women who cannot participate in the lessons we offer at the community center. Our primary focus originally was Muslim women and immigrant women who could not participate due to the presence of males in our facility, the cost to participate, or learning how to swim not being of high importance or not accessible to their families when they were children. Over the fall of 2021, staff developed the plan and met with groups of women to see what their interest were and what needed to happen to ensure the program was accessible to them and met their cultural needs. In January 2022, we offered the first session of women’s water safety, the second took off in summer 2022, and a third session in January 2023 with 17 women signed up on night one!

Program costs are kept very low using volunteer instructors.  Three volunteers stepped up and secured certification as Red Cross WSI’s (Water Safety Instructor) to support the program, while three other volunteers underwent other extensive training on how to best help program participants be successful in the water.  As a result of these volunteers, just a few paid aquatics staff are needed to execute this program.  Final program costs have been covered by $4,500 in donations from a single generous supporter in the community, and a grant for $935 from MVAC (Minnesota Valley Action Council). 

This program is recognized with this award of excellence from MRAP because it is unique in who we aim to serve, how we can remove barriers, and the way volunteers have stepped in to be able to offer it. Adult women are traditionally not a focused demographic for recreational programming.  Children are the typical focus of aquatics programming efforts.  It’s remarkable to be able to offer an aquatics program for participants who are all adult minority women, mostly born outside of the United States, who’ve never had the opportunity to learn these important water safety skills.  Because of partnerships (school district), volunteers (instructors), and donors, participants are only asked to pay $10 to access the lifesaving gift of learning to swim.  In the three sessions we’ve been able to offer, the program has positively changed participant’s lives forever, as Shakopee Parks and Recreation has set an example for other cities through innovative programming solutions to address complex needs in our community.

Staff recommend that the Mayor and Council recognize Minnesota Recreation and Parks Association representatives in their presentation of the MRPA Award of Excellence in Programming to Shakopee Parks and Recreation for the Women's Water Safety program.