Riihimäki organizes swimming schools for immigrant children in the autumn

The city will organize in the fall of 2025 free swimming schools for children from Riihimäki who have immigrated to the country. The swimming schools will be organized in cooperation with the Riihimäki Swimming Club. The swimming schools will begin the week of September 1.

"There were several sad drowning deaths and near-misses in Finland during the summer, which highlighted the proportion of children who had immigrated to the country. The Riihimäki Swimming Club contacted us about the issue. After thinking about it together, we decided to start offering children's swimming schools as a new service in the integration services," says Marisa Tanner, integration specialist for the City of Riihimäki.

Those interested can inquire about available places and register by email. kotoutumispalvelut@riihimaki.fi.

“There are currently places available, especially for children aged 4–6 who cannot swim, and for children aged 5–10 who already have some swimming skills,” Tanner continues.

Children and young people with an immigrant background often lack proper swimming skills due to financial reasons. For this reason, swimming schools are free of charge. The teaching is in Finnish and many instructors also speak English. However, the lack of a common language is not an obstacle to participating in swimming school. Children can follow the teaching by following the example of the teacher and other children. Children who have immigrated to the country learn swimming skills with Finnish-speaking children.