Un Mar de Colores · Santee, CA
Indigenous Coastal Storytelling — Free in Santee
Guest-artist workshops bring professional BIPOC creators to Santee cohorts across San Diego.
Un Mar de Colores's Cultural Arts & Storytelling workshops center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano voices of the California coast — and Santee youth are welcome in every cohort. Quarterly workshops run throughout San Diego County in partnership with Santee School District and Santee Library, with summer artist residencies open to Santee students via referral from Santee School District / Grossmont Union High. All supplies, instruction, and exhibition opportunities are provided at no cost.
Schedule — Santee Program Days
Quarterly workshops + summer artist residencies · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —School art programs in Santee School District / Grossmont Union High are underfunded — supplies are rationed and coastal themes never appear.
- —Your child's mural idea about Tijuana River pollution has no wall — no program connected art to environmental justice.
- —Commercial 'surf art' classes paint palm trees for tourists — not stories from Santee neighborhoods.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- All art supplies provided — paint, canvas, cameras, mural materials — zero supply lists for Santee families.
- Pathways for Santee teens to develop portfolios for creative scholarships and careers.
- Guest-artist workshops bring professional creators who reflect Santee communities.
Why We Run This Program in Santee
Santee is an East County city home to Santee School District (approximately 6,000 students). Our Santee cohort travels 17 miles to OB Pier for water programming, making Santee one of our more transportation-intensive partnerships. Hill Creek and Cajon Park Elementary are our Title I partnership schools.
- Population
- 58,895
- BIPOC residents
- 38%
- Spanish-speaking households
- 17%
- Distance to beach
- 17 mi
Cultural Arts & Storytelling in Santee — What You Should Know
Free cultural arts workshops in Santee center Indigenous, Latino, and Chicano coastal voices at Un Mar de Colores — quarterly sessions and summer artist residencies with all supplies, guest artists, and exhibition opportunities at zero cost.
Poetry and spoken word coastal workshops honor Santee barrio voice — ocean imagery from inland neighborhoods, immigration narratives, and Tijuana River memory.
Why Santee Matters to Our Mission
With 58,895 residents, Santee 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 (17 miles inland) a logistics problem we solve, not a barrier families carry alone.
Whether Santee is on the coast or 17 miles inland inland, we treat transportation as part of the program — not an extra parents must figure out. That's how you build real access, not marketing copy.
Local Santee Partners & Referral Sources
In partnership with Santee School District / Grossmont Union High and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 2+ Title I schools.
School district & Title I partners
- Santee School District / Grossmont Union High
- •Hill Creek Elementary
- •Cajon Park Elementary
Community partners
- ◆Santee School District
- ◆Santee Library
- ◆Town Center Community Park
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 Santee 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
We do not charge families. Ever. That policy is structural — grants, donors, and shop revenue fund access so Santee youth are never waitlisted for inability to pay.
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."”
Frequently Asked Questions — Cultural Arts & Storytelling in Santee
Can schools from Santee School District / Grossmont Union High book arts workshops?+
Yes — we partner with Title I schools for culturally grounded arts field experiences. Contact Un Mar to coordinate a Santee classroom or after-school arts session.
What are summer artist residencies?+
Immersive multi-day residencies with professional BIPOC guest artists — deeper creation than single quarterly workshops. Free for Santee youth including supplies, mentorship, and exhibition output. Commercial residencies often charge tuition.
Who can participate from Santee?+
All ages welcome — youth, teens, adults, grandparents, and families from Santee. Multi-generational participation is encouraged, especially for oral tradition and storytelling sessions.
Are cultural arts & storytelling in Santee really free?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Santee are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Santee family has ever paid for our programming.
Where exactly do cultural arts & storytelling happen in Santee?+
Santee is 17 miles inland from the coast, so our cohorts are shuttled to OB Pier (17 miles) — our nearest Un Mar teaching beach. Classroom components including curriculum, cultural arts, and tutoring happen at Santee School District and partner schools inside Santee.
What ages can enroll in Santee?+
We serve youth ages All ages. In Santee specifically, our recruitment runs through Santee School District / Grossmont Union High — with priority enrollment for students from Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary. 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 OB Pier (17 miles), supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Santee, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at inland pools via our Santee School District partnership for students who request extra comfort-building.
Are lessons taught in Spanish in Santee?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Santee, where 17% 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 Santee?+
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Santee surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 38%-BIPOC Santee 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 Santee, not just those who can afford access.
How do I sign my Santee child up?+
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Hill Creek Elementary, Cajon Park Elementary and referrals from Santee School District and Santee Library. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.
Ready to Get in the Water?
Parents in Santee: bilingual staff, certified lifeguard-trained coaches, and zero cost. Sign up now.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Santee 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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