Free Poetry, Film & Mural Workshops in Spring Valley

Quarterly workshops across San Diego plus summer artist residencies. Check our calendar for the next Spring Valley-accessible session — some events occur near OB Pier (13 miles) and Coronado Central (12 miles), others at partner community sites.

All ages welcome — youth, teens, adults, grandparents, and families from Spring Valley. Multi-generational participation is encouraged, especially for oral tradition and storytelling sessions.

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

Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Spring Valley are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like La Presa Elementary, Loma Elementary, Kempton Street Literacy Academy, and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Spring Valley family has ever paid for our programming.

Spring Valley is 12 miles inland from the coast, so our cohorts are shuttled to OB Pier (13 miles) — our nearest Un Mar teaching beach. Classroom components including curriculum, cultural arts, and tutoring happen at La Mesa-Spring Valley School District and partner schools inside Spring Valley.

We serve youth ages All ages. In Spring Valley specifically, our recruitment runs through La Mesa-Spring Valley Schools — with priority enrollment for students from La Presa Elementary, Loma Elementary, Kempton Street Literacy Academy. 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 OB Pier (13 miles), supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Spring Valley, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at inland pools via our La Mesa-Spring Valley School District partnership for students who request extra comfort-building.

Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Spring Valley, where 45% 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 Spring Valley surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 79%-BIPOC Spring Valley 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 Spring Valley, not just those who can afford access.

Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of La Presa Elementary, Loma Elementary, Kempton Street Literacy Academy and referrals from La Mesa-Spring Valley School District and Spring Valley Library. Summer cohorts fill 3–4 weeks before start, so early contact is recommended.