Thrive International hosts women's-only pool party as an inclusive event for international residents

This Friday, Thrive International is hosting its second All Women’s Pool Party to create an inclusive and safe space for women whose cultures and communities require gender-separated settings for swimming.

The local nonprofit works to provide housing for refugees and immigrants, as well as education and empowerment programs to strengthen international communities in Spokane.

“We have a team of ladies from the Arabic community, the Afghani community, the Ukrainian Slavic community,” says Anna Bondarenko, general manager of the Thrive’s transitional housing program, the Thrive Center. “We're realizing that more and more ladies from those countries need a safe place to just have fun.”

The nonprofit holds weekly pool parties for all community members, but communications coordinator Nara Shin notes how there’s an added barrier at those events for many women and girls.

“I met this little girl and she was wearing a hijab, and she was with her brother,” she says. “Her brother was swimming here with his friends, and she was just standing and looking at him. I was like, ‘Don't you want to jump into the pool and swim together?’ And she was like, ‘I want to, but I can't because I have to wear this, and my parents are not allowing me to do this.’”

At their first all-women’s pool party last month, Shin saw the same girl again, this time able to swim in a safe, inclusive environment. Thrive staff covered windows around the pool with blue tablecloths to create a physical barrier allowing women who otherwise — due to cultural, political or religious beliefs — wouldn’t be able to use public pools to go for a refreshing swim. More than 70 women participated.

The next All Women’s Pool Party happens Friday, Aug. 25, from 11 am to 8 pm, with swimming lessons occurring for the first two hours, as well as a halal barbecue at 4 pm. Women from different community organizations are also on site to connect with the refugees and immigrants at Thrive International, but the event is open to all women in Spokane.

Bondarenko says Thrive plans to hold more women-only events in the future to continue to create more opportunities for members of Spokane’s international communities to socialize, recreate and form connections. More information can be found on Thrive International’s website or Facebook page.

“It's a way for us to empower, encourage, and build trust within the community,” she says. ♦