Un Mar de Colores · Mission Beach, CA
The coast's cultural story belongs to Mission Beach — not just tourist galleries and surf brand marketing.
Un Mar de Colores's Cultural Arts & Storytelling workshops center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices of the California coast — and Mission Beach youth are welcome in every cohort. Quarterly workshops run throughout San Diego County in partnership with Mission Bay Aquatic Center and Mission Beach Elementary, with summer artist residencies open to Mission Beach students via referral from San Diego Unified School District. All supplies, instruction, and exhibition opportunities are provided at no cost.
Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completely free
Mission Beach's 2-mile peninsula gives our programs direct access to both open-ocean surf and the protected waters of Mission Bay for paddle fundamentals. We partner with Mission Beach Elementary and the Mission Bay Aquatic Center for water-comfort programming before open-ocean sessions. The South Mission Jetty area provides beginner-friendly protected waves on most swells.
With 19% Spanish-speaking households in Mission Beach, bilingual arts instruction and exhibition materials are standard — not English-only gallery language.
Film and documentary workshops for Mission Beach teens include camera access and editing mentorship — storytelling tools without elite film school fees.
Parents in Mission Beach often ask how a nonprofit can offer everything free. Answer: San Diego Foundation grants, community donors, and partners who believe Mission Beach youth belong in the lineup — same as any other kid in San Diego.
Mission Beach's Spanish-speaking households (19%) get parent communications in both languages, every time. Coastal access fails when language is treated as an afterthought.
Used for intermediate progression; too exposed for first-time students on most days.
Mission Beach is home to the historic Belmont Park wooden roller coaster (1925), one of the oldest surviving seaside amusement parks in the United States.
In partnership with San Diego Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 1+ Title I schools.
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.
Our impact is measured in youth served, school partnerships, and watershed stewardship hours — published annually in our impact reports at mar-de-colores.org.
“"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."”
No — we provide paint, canvas, cameras, mural materials, and all workshop supplies. Mission Beach families show up ready to create, not shop for materials.
Yes — 100% free. All art supplies, guest-artist instruction, bilingual materials, and exhibition opportunities are included. Commercial youth art classes in San Diego County often charge $30–$80 per session. Mission Beach families pay nothing.
Contact Un Mar de Colores or check our quarterly workshop calendar. Priority for Mission Beach families through partner org and San Diego Unified School District referrals. All ages welcome — bring grandparents and neighbors.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Mission Beach are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Mission Beach Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Mission Beach family has ever paid for our programming.
Primary water sessions run at Mission Beach. Classroom components happen at Mission Bay Aquatic Center and other partner sites. All water activities happen within lifeguard-flag zones.
We serve youth ages All ages. In Mission Beach specifically, our recruitment runs through San Diego Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Mission Beach Elementary. Cohorts are age-appropriate (One Ocean for 6–12, Ocean Stewards for 13–17).
No. We begin every cohort with ocean-safety fundamentals in chest-deep whitewater at Mission Beach, supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Mission Beach, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at local community pools for students who request extra comfort-building.
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Mission Beach, where 19% 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.
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Mission Beach surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 37%-BIPOC Mission 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 Mission Beach, not just those who can afford access.
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Mission Beach Elementary and referrals from Mission Bay Aquatic Center and Mission Beach Elementary. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Spots in our Mission Beach cohorts are limited to keep instructor ratios safe. Contact us to reserve a place.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Mission 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.
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