BIPOC youth Cultural Arts & Storytelling session in Oceanside — Un Mar de Colores

Un Mar de Colores · Oceanside, CA

Indigenous Coastal Storytelling — Free in Oceanside

The coast's cultural story belongs to Oceanside — not just tourist galleries and surf brand marketing.

Un Mar de Colores ofrece cultural arts & storytelling gratuitas para jóvenes de Oceanside de All ages años, directamente en la costa de Oceanside. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 61% BIPOC (174,068 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en The Strand, Wisconsin Street Beach, con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de South Oceanside Elementary, Cesar Chavez Middle School, Ditmar Elementary.

Horario — programa en Oceanside

Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completamente gratis

Quizás sientes esto

—Cultural arts feel separate from environmental work — you want Oceanside youth connecting watershed stories to visual art.
—Bilingual arts instruction is rare — most Oceanside-area workshops default to English-only artists and materials.
—Latino surf culture history is absent from school — your child learns about Duke Kahanamoku but not Chicano longboarders.

Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua

Kumeyaay elders participate in coastal storytelling and living culture modules — not token land acknowledgments.
Latino and Chicano surf culture history centers voices commercial surf media erases.
Quarterly workshops across San Diego — consistent creative community, not one-off craft days.

Por qué operamos este programa en Oceanside

Oceanside is Un Mar de Colores's home city — where free surf lessons, summer surf camp, and Ocean Stewards after-school were built for BIPOC youth, not as a commercial surf school. With 3.5 miles of coastline, the 1,942-foot Oceanside Pier, and 53,000+ students in Oceanside Unified, it is the epicenter of our work. The Strand, Wisconsin Street, and South Oceanside Beach host nearly all of our year-round programming, and most of our staff and youth come from the MLK Community Center and Boys & Girls Club of Oceanside.

Población: 174,068
Residentes BIPOC: 61%
Hogares hispanohablantes: 36%
Distancia a la playa: En la costa

Cultural Arts & Storytelling en Oceanside — Lo que debes saber

Summer artist residencies in San Diego provide immersive creative weeks free for Oceanside youth — commercial residencies often charge hundreds in tuition.

Exhibition partnerships with local galleries and museums amplify Oceanside youth work — public visibility beyond school walls and social media.

Por qué Oceanside importa para nuestra misión

Oceanside families deserve instructors who look like their kids and speak their language. With 61% BIPOC residents, bilingual coaching isn't a nice-to-have — it's how we earn trust on day one.

When we say free for Oceanside youth, we mean wetsuits, soft-tops, rashguards, sunscreen, transportation, and instruction — the full stack commercial programs charge $50–$150 per session for.

Dónde surfeamos en Oceanside

The Strand

Principiante

Un Mar's primary Oceanside teaching beach — south of the pier. Sand-bottom beginner reform, year-round lifeguards, and direct access from Oceanside Unified make The Strand where most free surf lessons and Thursday Ocean Stewards sessions start.

South of Oceanside Pier, The Strand has been a teaching beach for San Diego County surf programs for decades. The Oceanside Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division covers this stretch year-round. Summer swells here are often knee-to-waist high — ideal for first paddles without resorting to steeper North County point breaks.

Fondo: SandOleaje: 1–3 ft typicalSalvavidas: Todo el año

Wisconsin Street Beach

Principiante

Secondary Oceanside teaching beach between the pier and harbor jetty — used for Wednesday cohorts and intermediate progression after youth build confidence at The Strand.

Wisconsin Street sits between Oceanside Pier and the harbor breakwater. Slightly more exposed than The Strand, it is still a sand-bottom city beach with lifeguard coverage — our step-up spot before youth see heavier North County water.

Fondo: SandOleaje: 1–4 ft typicalSalvavidas: Estacional

Socios comunitarios locales en Oceanside

En asociación con el Oceanside Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 7+ escuelas Título I.

Distrito escolar y escuelas Título I

Oceanside Unified School District
•South Oceanside Elementary
•Cesar Chavez Middle School
•Ditmar Elementary
•Laurel Elementary
•Lincoln Middle School
•Mission Elementary
•Palmquist Elementary

Socios comunitarios

◆Oceanside Boys & Girls Club (Carmelo Drive)
◆MLK Community Center (Division Street)
◆Oceanside Public Library
◆City of Oceanside Parks & Recreation
◆North County Lifeline
◆MiraCosta College Outreach

Currículo del programa

Cultural Arts & Storytelling at Un Mar de Colores is where the surf, the coast, and community narrative meet. Quarterly workshops and summer artist residencies bring together youth, professional artists, and Kumeyaay elders to create work that reflects the living cultural traditions of the California coast. Programs center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices historically marginalized in coastal culture, and every workshop ends with a public exhibition, publication, or film screening that returns the art to the community that made it.

→Coastal storytelling and oral tradition
→Kumeyaay history and living culture
→Latino and Chicano surf culture history
→Visual arts (painting, mural, photography)
→Poetry and spoken word
→Film and documentary-making

Qué se incluye — Gratis para cada joven de Oceanside

✓All art supplies provided
✓Guest-artist workshops
✓Exhibition and publication opportunities
✓Bilingual instruction
✓Culturally grounded curriculum
✓Partnership with local galleries and museums

Por qué Un Mar de Colores

Un Mar de Colores is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Oceanside, California in 2018. Our instructors are certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division and hold CPR + First Aid credentials.

Lo que dice nuestra comunidad

“"He used to approach new activities with extreme anxiety — to the point where sometimes we couldn't even get out of the car. Now he goes much deeper into the water."”
— Middle school student— Parent, One Ocean

Preguntas frecuentes — Cultural Arts & Storytelling en Oceanside

Do I need to bring art supplies?+

No — we provide paint, canvas, cameras, mural materials, and all workshop supplies. Oceanside families show up ready to create, not shop for materials.

Are workshops bilingual in Oceanside?+

Yes — bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish. In Oceanside, where 36% of households are Spanish-speaking, artists and elders deliver workshops in both languages.

What is Cultural Arts & Storytelling in Oceanside?+

Un Mar de Colores Cultural Arts centers Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices of the California coast through quarterly workshops and summer artist residencies. Oceanside participants create visual art, poetry, film, and oral tradition work with Kumeyaay elders and professional BIPOC guest artists — all free with supplies included.

¿Los programas de Cultural Arts & Storytelling en Oceanside son realmente gratuitos?+

Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en Oceanside son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como South Oceanside Elementary, Cesar Chavez Middle School, Ditmar Elementary, e instrucción bilingüe certificada. El financiamiento proviene de la San Diego Foundation, subvenciones comunitarias y donantes individuales.

¿Dónde se realizan exactamente las lecciones en Oceanside?+

Las lecciones principales se realizan en The Strand. También usamos Wisconsin Street Beach según el nivel del grupo. Todas las sesiones de agua ocurren dentro de las zonas salvavidas de la bandera.

¿Qué edades son elegibles en Oceanside?+

Servimos a jóvenes de All ages años. Nuestra Beca One Ocean cubre las edades 6-12, Ocean Stewards After-School sirve a 13-17, y las Becas Atléticas de Surf están disponibles para jóvenes competitivos a través de nuestras asociaciones con Oceanside Unified School District.

¿Cómo inscribo a mi hijo/a?+

Contáctenos a través de nuestra página de contacto. La inscripción prioritaria se otorga a estudiantes de South Oceanside Elementary, Cesar Chavez Middle School, Ditmar Elementary y otras escuelas de Título I en Oceanside Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.

¿Listo para entrar al agua?

Spots in our Oceanside cohorts are limited to keep instructor ratios safe. Contact us to reserve a place.

Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores son gratuitos para jóvenes de Oceanside. Contáctanos para inscribirte, hacer voluntariado, o apoyar el movimiento.

Inscríbete / Contáctanos Donar

Un Mar de Colores es una organización sin fines de lucro 501(c)(3) liderada por personas BIPOC, basada en Oceanside, California. Ofrecemos programación gratuita de surf, océano y educación ambiental para jóvenes en San Diego y Tijuana — conectando culturas, costas y comunidades desde 2018.

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