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
- —Representation in local galleries doesn't match 38% of Santee residents — who gets to be 'coastal artist'?
- —Exhibition opportunities seem reserved for kids whose parents already know gallery owners in La Jolla.
- —School art programs in Santee School District / Grossmont Union High are underfunded — supplies are rationed and coastal themes never appear.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- BIPOC-led arts movement — coastal culture reclaimed by communities who built San Diego shorelines.
- Kumeyaay elders participate in coastal storytelling and living culture modules — not token land acknowledgments.
- Culturally grounded curriculum — Indigenous and Latino coastal narratives as foundation, not supplement.
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 mural and photography workshops near OB Pier (17 miles) and Coronado Central (16 miles) give Santee teens tools to document watershed pollution, lineup culture, and neighborhood coastal memory — art as environmental justice.
Film and documentary workshops for Santee teens include camera access and editing mentorship — storytelling tools without elite film school fees.
Why Santee Matters to Our Mission
Santee's relationship to the Pacific is complicated by history and economics. Our curriculum weaves Kumeyaay coastal stewardship, environmental justice, and culturally grounded instruction into every session — not as an add-on, but as the foundation.
Santee sits inside San Diego County's coastal equity gap — 38% of residents identify as BIPOC, yet beach access has historically been gated by cost, transportation, and culture. Un Mar de Colores closes that gap with free programming and school-based recruitment.
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
How do we enroll from Santee?+
Contact Un Mar de Colores or check our quarterly workshop calendar. Priority for Santee families through partner org and Santee School District / Grossmont Union High referrals. All ages welcome — bring grandparents and neighbors.
Are workshops bilingual in Santee?+
Yes — bilingual instruction and materials in English and Spanish. In Santee, where 17% of households are Spanish-speaking, artists and elders deliver workshops in both languages.
How is cultural arts connected to other Un Mar programs?+
Arts integrate with watershed education (Tijuana River visual narratives), Ocean Stewards after-school, and surf camp afternoons. Santee youth see culture, environment, and ocean access as one movement.
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?
Don't wait for summer — year-round Santee cohorts fill fast. Reach out now for free enrollment.
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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