'It's very symbolic': Haitian Olympian teaches youth to swim at the Big O

Olympic athlete Naomy Grand'Pierre's mother says it's "pure coincidence" her daughter dove into the swimming world.

It was three drownings in the family that prompted her to enroll her five children inswimming lessons.

Clio, Naomy's mother, noticed older kids practicing for competitions after her daughter's lessons.

"I said, 'Naomy, instead of sitting there waiting for your brothers, we're going to put you in those practices,' and that's how it became a family sport," saidClio.

By the age of 19,Grand'Pierrewas the first female swimmer to representHaiti in the Olympics, when she competed in theRio 2016 OlympicGames.

Now,Grand'Pierresays, teaching people to swim is her way of helping uplifther community. She is giving young peoplefree swimming lessons at Montreal's Olympic Stadium.

'So many drowning cases'

Grand'Pierre'smother Cliotold Radio-Canada that the family has been promoting swimming in the Haitian community at home and abroad.

"In the Haitian community, there aren't very many swimmers, it's really a minority, and that's why there are so many drowning cases, not only in Haiti, but among the diasporaas well,"said Clio.

A study by the Lifesaving Society of Canada found that new Canadians are four times more likely to be unable to swim than those born in Canada. It also foundmore than half of immigrant parents are afraid their children will drown.

At the stadium, Naomy Grand'Pierre, who is on a swimming scholarship at the University of Chicago and hopes to qualify in the 2020 Olympics, is all smiles as she guides the five children in the lesson through the exercises.

"Remember, streamline. Okay, and then we'll do the flutter kick," she says as the kids laugh and splash away. "Perfect, yes!"

It was not lost on the family that only a couple hundred metres away more than 1,000 Haitian asylum seekers were being temporarily housed.

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Grand'Pierresays it's part of the reason she wanted to host the lessons at the stadium pool. "It is very symbolic," she said.

"It's a big deal to come back and give back to the community and teach people how to swim," she said.

A dual U.S.-Haitian citizen,Grand'Pierre was born in Montreal and was also raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

On top of her training, she has been helping build pools in Haiti.

"One by one, we can start changing a culture in Haiti so that everyone sees the importance [of knowing how to swim]and even if it's just to learn how to swim and then you never swim again, I'll still be happy with that," she said.

As for whether she saw any future Olympian athletes in her group, she said,"Anyone can become an Olympian, just like anyone can learn how to swim."

"It just takes the right determination."

Giving back

Cliosaid it was the family's way of contributing to theircommunity, which has beenaffected by the 2010 earthquake, that killed more than 200,000 people, a hurricane in 2015 and years of political instability.

"If these people are in the stadium, it's because they're looking for opportunity," she said, noting many had walked for kilometres at a time and crossed several borders not just the one between Canada and the United States, where thousands have been pouring through in the past couple months.

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"Haitians are hard workers and I believe that if these people, they travelled all the way to come here, imagine if you give them the opportunity to work and make a life for themselves."

Cliosays success in the Haitian community abroad and at home means success for the country.

"The more Haitians we help succeed, the more Haitians will be available to come home with the resources necessary for us to rebuild our country," she added.