Youth Cultural Arts & Storytelling at Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) and Oceanside Pier (13 miles) near San Marcos, California

Un Mar de Colores · San Marcos, CA

San Marcos's Free Cultural Arts by Un Mar de Colores

All art supplies provided — paint, canvas, cameras, materials — zero cost for San Marcos families.

Un Mar de Colores ofrece cultural arts & storytelling gratuitas para jóvenes de San Marcos de All ages años, con transporte gratuito de 11 millas desde San Marcos a nuestras playas de enseñanza. Sirviendo a una comunidad del 51% BIPOC (96,664 residentes), nuestra instrucción se lleva a cabo en Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles) y Oceanside Pier (13 miles), con entrenadores bilingües certificados y todo el equipo proporcionado. La inscripción prioritaria es para estudiantes de Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary.

Horario — programa en San Marcos

Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completamente gratis

Quizás sientes esto

  • —Kumeyaay history shows up on a poster once a year — your child wants living culture with elders, not clipart.
  • —Bilingual arts instruction is rare — most San Marcos-area workshops default to English-only artists and materials.
  • —Museum trips to North County feel like visiting someone else's narrative — not creating your own coastal art.

Lo que cambia cuando los jóvenes entran al agua

  • BIPOC-led arts movement — coastal culture reclaimed by communities who built North County shorelines.
  • All art supplies provided — paint, canvas, cameras, mural materials — zero supply lists for San Marcos families.
  • Bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish — 37% households served fully.

Por qué operamos este programa en San Marcos

San Marcos is the most diverse inland city in North County, with 37% Hispanic/Latino population and home to California State University San Marcos. Our cohorts travel from Alvin Dunn Elementary and San Marcos Middle to Carlsbad's Tamarack for water programming. CSUSM student volunteers support our program delivery, making this one of our strongest university-nonprofit partnerships.

Población
96,664
Residentes BIPOC
51%
Hogares hispanohablantes
37%
Distancia a la playa
11 mi

Cultural Arts & Storytelling en San Marcos — Lo que debes saber

Visual arts supplies provided every workshop — paint, canvas, mural materials — no hidden supply lists for San Marcos working families.

Free cultural arts for San Marcos communities is part of Un Mar's BIPOC-led Cali-Baja movement — coastal culture as community right, not gallery commodity.

Por qué San Marcos importa para nuestra misión

Serving San Marcos means meeting families where they are: North County schools, community centers, and partner orgs that already hold trust. We don't wait for families to find the beach — we bring youth to the water.

From San Marcos's Title I schools to the sand, our pipeline is built on real partnerships — not generic 'serving the area' language. Every cohort names the schools, beaches, and community orgs involved.

Socios comunitarios locales en San Marcos

En asociación con el San Marcos Unified School District y organizaciones comunitarias locales, reclutamos jóvenes de 5+ escuelas Título I.

Distrito escolar y escuelas Título I

  • San Marcos Unified School District
  • •Alvin Dunn Elementary
  • •Paloma Elementary
  • •San Marcos Elementary
  • •San Marcos Middle School
  • •San Marcos High School

Socios comunitarios

  • ◆California State University San Marcos (student volunteers)
  • ◆San Marcos Unified School District
  • ◆Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos
  • ◆San Marcos Library

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 San Marcos

  • ✓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

Federal EIN 85-2947340. Mailing: PO BOX 232471, Encinitas, CA 92024. We operate on the ancestral lands of the Kumeyaay Nation with respect and community accountability.

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 San Marcos

What are summer artist residencies?+

Immersive multi-day residencies with professional BIPOC guest artists — deeper creation than single quarterly workshops. Free for San Marcos youth including supplies, mentorship, and exhibition output. Commercial residencies often charge tuition.

Are workshops bilingual in San Marcos?+

Yes — bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish. In San Marcos, where 37% of households are Spanish-speaking, artists and elders deliver workshops in both languages.

Can teens do film and documentary workshops?+

Yes — film and documentary-making workshops include camera access and editing mentorship. San Marcos teens document coastal stories, environmental justice, and neighborhood memory with professional guidance.

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

Sí. Todos los programas de Un Mar de Colores en San Marcos son 100% gratuitos. Proporcionamos trajes de neopreno 3/2mm, tablas de surf, transporte desde escuelas asociadas como Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos 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 San Marcos?+

Los jóvenes de San Marcos viajan en nuestro transporte a Carlsbad Tamarack (11 miles), aproximadamente a 11 millas. Los componentes de aula ocurren en escuelas y bibliotecas asociadas dentro de San Marcos.

¿Qué edades son elegibles en San Marcos?+

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 San Marcos 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 Alvin Dunn Elementary, Paloma Elementary, San Marcos Elementary y otras escuelas de Título I en San Marcos Unified School District. Los grupos de verano suelen llenarse con 3-4 semanas de anticipación.

¿Listo para entrar al agua?

Volunteer, donate, or enroll — however you join, you're helping San Marcos youth access the coast.

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

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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