November 2026 – June 2027 · Washington, DC
Lead in the outdoors. Learn to swim. Become a lifeguard. Practice a new language.
An eight-month program for DC high school students working with Credible Messengers, Violence Interrupters, and others in similar roles. Students and mentors join as a team. No prior swimming experience required.
Click to read
The short version
The schedule, the stipends, what we expect of teams, and how to apply. Open it, print it, or hand it to a parent.
What teams will do
Students and mentors do all of it together, as a team.
Tuesday and Thursday, 7–8 PM
Build swimming skills, prepare for lifeguard certification, and pursue summer jobs at DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DCPR) or other regional pools. Students receive swim gear, and we provide laundry services for it.
Weekly group dinner, 8–9 PM
Conversational Spanish over a meal, right after the pool.
Select weekends
Excursions and outdoor activities.
Puerto Rico in January · Costa Rica in May/June
BreakFree covers travel, lodging, and food.
Program schedule
Nov. 2–12
A trial period for teams to decide whether to continue.
Nov. 16 – Jan. 2027
Continue swimming and Spanish lessons. Teams that complete the course travel to Puerto Rico in mid-January.
Feb. – June 2027
Intermediate swimming and DCPR lifeguard certification (Spring 2027), preparing students for potential summer lifeguard jobs. Teams that remain in the program travel to Costa Rica in late May/June.
Stipends & program expectations
How to apply
Submit a Student Application and a Mentor Application. If accepted, each team completes a Student Commitment Form, a Parent Commitment Form, and a Mentor Commitment Form.