Cultural Arts & Storytelling program in Imperial Beach, CA with Un Mar de Colores youth coaches

Un Mar de Colores · Imperial Beach, CA

Free Artist Residencies for Imperial Beach Youth

Guest-artist workshops bring professional BIPOC creators to Imperial Beach cohorts across San Diego.

Un Mar de Colores's Cultural Arts & Storytelling workshops center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices of the California coast — and Imperial Beach youth are welcome in every cohort. Quarterly workshops run throughout San Diego County in partnership with Imperial Beach Sports Park and South Bay Alliance, with summer artist residencies open to Imperial Beach students via referral from South Bay Union School District. All supplies, instruction, and exhibition opportunities are provided at no cost.

Schedule — Imperial Beach Program Days

Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completely free

You Might Be Feeling This

  • Latino surf culture history is absent from school — your child learns about Duke Kahanamoku but not Chicano longboarders.
  • School art programs in South Bay Union School District are underfunded — supplies are rationed and coastal themes never appear.
  • Photography workshops assume expensive gear — your teen has a phone and a vision but no mentorship.

What Changes When Youth Get in the Water

  • Partnerships with local galleries and museums amplify Imperial Beach youth work publicly.
  • Summer artist residencies provide immersive multi-day creation with professional BIPOC guest artists.
  • Kumeyaay elders participate in coastal storytelling and living culture modules — not token land acknowledgments.

Why We Run This Program in Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach is the southernmost beach city in California and ground zero for our Tijuana River watershed work. Beach closures from transboundary sewage flows regularly impact water quality here, which is why our Imperial Beach cohorts combine surf instruction with direct environmental justice education — kids learn about the river and the coast as a single system. Mar Vista Middle and Imperial Beach Elementary are our flagship Title I partners.

Population
26,324
BIPOC residents
73%
Spanish-speaking households
42%
Distance to beach
Coastal

Cultural Arts & Storytelling in Imperial Beach — What You Should Know

Poetry and spoken word coastal workshops honor Imperial Beach barrio voice — ocean imagery from inland neighborhoods, immigration narratives, and Tijuana River memory.

Guest-artist workshops bring professional BIPOC creators to Imperial Beach cohorts — mentors who reflect community, not imported tourist artists.

Why Imperial Beach Matters to Our Mission

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

With 26,324 residents, Imperial Beach is one of the communities where a single free surf cohort can change dozens of lives per season. Our shuttles and school partnerships make distance (on the coast) a logistics problem we solve, not a barrier families carry alone.

Where We Surf in Imperial Beach

IB Pier

Beginner

Primary Imperial Beach teaching location — WHEN water quality is safe. Tijuana River sewage flows regularly close this beach.

Imperial Beach sits at the southern terminus of California and is the closest beach to the US-Mexico border. The Tijuana River mouth is 2 miles south.

Bottom: SandWave: 2–6 ft typicalLifeguard: Year-round

Local Imperial Beach Partners & Referral Sources

In partnership with South Bay Union School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 3+ Title I schools.

School district & Title I partners

  • South Bay Union School District
  • Imperial Beach Elementary
  • Oneonta Elementary
  • Mar Vista Middle School

Community partners

  • Imperial Beach Sports Park
  • South Bay Alliance
  • WILDCOAST (Tijuana River watershed partner)
  • Imperial Beach Library

Program Curriculum

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

What's Included — Free for Every Imperial Beach Youth

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

Why Un Mar de Colores

Un Mar de Colores is recognized by partners including the San Diego Foundation, Surfrider San Diego, WILDCOAST, and school districts across San Diego — not a pop-up program, a sustained movement.

What our community says

"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

Frequently Asked Questions — Cultural Arts & Storytelling in Imperial Beach

Do participants get exhibition opportunities?+

Yes — every workshop cycle aims toward public exhibition, publication, or film screening. Un Mar partners with local galleries and museums to return Imperial Beach youth art to the community — not sell it to tourists.

What art forms are included?+

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, and film and documentary-making. Imperial Beach cohorts rotate through forms across quarterly workshops.

How does Kumeyaay culture appear in arts programming?+

Kumeyaay elders participate in coastal storytelling and living culture modules alongside visual arts — elders as teachers, not symbols. Imperial Beach Indigenous and Latino youth learn cultural depth commercial surf culture erases.

Are cultural arts & storytelling in Imperial Beach really free?+

Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Imperial Beach are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Imperial Beach Elementary, Oneonta Elementary, Mar Vista Middle School, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Imperial Beach family has ever paid for our programming.

Where exactly do cultural arts & storytelling happen in Imperial Beach?+

Primary water sessions run at IB Pier. Classroom components happen at Imperial Beach Sports Park and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.

What ages can enroll in Imperial Beach?+

We serve youth ages All ages. In Imperial Beach specifically, our recruitment runs through South Bay Union School District — with priority enrollment for students from Imperial Beach Elementary, Oneonta Elementary, Mar Vista Middle School. Cohorts are age-appropriate (One Ocean for 6–12, Ocean Stewards for 13–17).

Does my child need to know how to swim before starting?+

No. We begin every cohort with ocean-safety fundamentals in chest-deep whitewater at IB Pier, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Imperial Beach, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at local community pools for students who request extra comfort-building.

Are lessons taught in Spanish in Imperial Beach?+

Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Imperial Beach, where 42% of households are Spanish-speaking, we intentionally pair at least one bilingual coach to every session. Cultural programming is delivered in both languages, and parent communications are always sent in Spanish and English.

How is Un Mar de Colores different from other cultural arts & storytelling in Imperial Beach?+

Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Imperial Beach surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 73%-BIPOC Imperial Beach community we serve; (3) our curriculum includes environmental justice, Kumeyaay coastal history, and cultural arts — not just surf skills. We exist because the ocean should belong to everyone in Imperial Beach, not just those who can afford access.

How do I sign my Imperial Beach child up?+

Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Imperial Beach Elementary, Oneonta Elementary, Mar Vista Middle School and referrals from Imperial Beach Sports Park and South Bay Alliance. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.

Ready to Get in the Water?

Support the movement or enroll your youth — Un Mar de Colores is building coastal access for Imperial Beach families.

All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Imperial Beach youth. Reach out to enroll, volunteer, or support the movement.

Un Mar de Colores is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Oceanside, California. We provide free surf, ocean, and environmental programming for youth across San Diego and Tijuana — bridging cultures, coasts, and communities since 2018.

Web platform architecture and development by Codinito.

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