I would think if you said, "I don't know how to swim, so I'm going to learn," good friends and acquaintances would be massively supportive?
My guess is to make it more sterile and professional by learning alone with a coach.
Don't let anxiety hold you back from learning this!
Swimming isn't actually hard. It's easier than a lot of things that people teach themselves to do. If multiple people offer to help you, pick out the person who seems pretty chill about things and follow her advice.