.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Un Mar de Colores · Poway, CA
Environmental Justice on the Coast — Free in Poway
We prioritize recruitment from BIPOC communities in Poway where coastal access has been gated by cost and culture.
Un Mar de Colores hosts ongoing Ocean Stewardship cleanup and conservation programming across the Poway area and surrounding coast. Monthly events combine hands-on beach cleanup with environmental justice education, citizen science data collection, and policy literacy. Our Poway programming partners with Poway Unified School District, Poway Library, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego (Poway branch), and all events are free and family-friendly.
Schedule — Poway Program Days
Monthly cleanups, quarterly workshops · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —Your family has been in Poway for generations yet coastal stewardship still feels tourist-first, local-last.
- —Beach closure headlines after storms confuse you — nobody connects Tijuana River pollution to why Poway families can't swim.
- —You've picked up trash alone on the sand and felt invisible — no data, no community, no policy connection.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Trauma-informed, welcoming culture — first-time volunteers from Poway aren't lectured or judged.
- Post-cleanup debrief and reflection turn action into environmental literacy and advocacy motivation.
- Volunteer program integration — adults from Poway can deepen commitment through Un Mar volunteer tracks.
Why We Run This Program in Poway
Poway is an inland North County city home to Poway Unified School District, one of the largest K-12 districts in California. Our Poway cohorts travel to Del Mar's 15th Street Beach and La Jolla Shores for water programming, with classroom partnership at Poway Library and the Poway Center for the Performing Arts for cultural programming.
- Population
- 48,841
- BIPOC residents
- 46%
- Spanish-speaking households
- 17%
- Distance to beach
- 14 mi
Ocean Stewardship in Poway — What You Should Know
Community service hours for Poway Unified School District students are documented at every Un Mar cleanup — Poway teens get verified hours with environmental depth, not parking-lot volunteer slots.
Family-friendly beach cleanups welcome grandparents and young children from Poway — multi-generational stewardship, not adult-only eco clubs.
Why Poway Matters to Our Mission
Poway families deserve instructors who look like their kids and speak their language. With 46% BIPOC residents, bilingual coaching isn't a nice-to-have — it's how we earn trust on day one.
When we say free for Poway youth, we mean wetsuits, soft-tops, rashguards, sunscreen, transportation, and instruction — the full stack commercial programs charge $50–$150 per session for.
Local Poway Partners & Referral Sources
In partnership with Poway Unified School District and local community organizations, we recruit youth from 2+ Title I schools.
School district & Title I partners
- Poway Unified School District
- •Meadowbrook Middle
- •Valley Elementary (Poway)
Community partners
- ◆Poway Unified School District
- ◆Poway Library
- ◆Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego (Poway branch)
Program Curriculum
Ocean Stewardship at Un Mar de Colores connects coastal cleanup action with deeper environmental justice education. Monthly cleanups run across Oceanside, Imperial Beach, Cardiff, and partner sites, with each event combining hands-on debris removal with short teaching moments about the watershed-to-ocean pipeline, the plastic pollution crisis, and California coastal policy. Our Ocean Stewardship program is free and family-friendly, and we specifically prioritize recruitment from BIPOC communities whose relationships with the coast have historically been gated by cost or culture. Every participant contributes to our citizen science database tracking pollution patterns across San Diego County.
- →Beach cleanup fundamentals and safe practices
- →Plastic pollution and marine debris science
- →California coastal commission policy basics
- →Watershed-to-ocean connection
- →Citizen science data collection protocols
- →Advocacy and community organizing skills
What's Included — Free for Every Poway Youth
- ✓Cleanup supplies (buckets, grabbers, gloves)
- ✓Bilingual safety briefings
- ✓Data collection training
- ✓Post-cleanup debrief and reflection
- ✓Certificate of community service
- ✓Family-friendly participation
Why Un Mar de Colores
Board and staff leadership is BIPOC-majority. Decisions about Poway programming are made with community partners, not corporate sponsors.
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 — Ocean Stewardship in Poway
Can schools from Poway Unified School District organize cleanup field trips?+
Yes — we partner with Title I schools for field-trip style stewardship events. Contact us to coordinate a Poway school group cleanup with curriculum alignment.
How do I sign up for a cleanup from Poway?+
Contact Un Mar de Colores or check our event calendar. No fees, no gear required — register early for popular monthly events near La Jolla Shores (18 miles) and Del Mar 15th Street (14 miles). Bring your family and neighbors from Poway.
Are quarterly workshops separate from monthly cleanups?+
Quarterly workshops deepen advocacy and community organizing beyond debris removal — recommended for Poway participants who want to move from volunteer to organizer. Cleanups remain monthly entry points.
Are ocean stewardship in Poway really free?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs in Poway are 100% free — including 3/2mm wetsuits, soft-top surfboards, transportation from partner schools like Meadowbrook Middle, Valley Elementary (Poway), and certified bilingual instruction. Funding comes from the San Diego Foundation, community grants, and individual donors. No Poway family has ever paid for our programming.
Where exactly do ocean stewardship happen in Poway?+
Poway is 14 miles inland from the coast, so our cohorts are shuttled to La Jolla Shores (18 miles) — our nearest Un Mar teaching beach. Classroom components including curriculum, cultural arts, and tutoring happen at Poway Unified School District and partner schools inside Poway.
What ages can enroll in Poway?+
We serve youth ages All ages. In Poway specifically, our recruitment runs through Poway Unified School District — with priority enrollment for students from Meadowbrook Middle, Valley Elementary (Poway). 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 La Jolla Shores (18 miles), supervised by instructors certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division. Water comfort is built progressively. In Poway, we also run pre-cohort pool-familiarization sessions at inland pools via our Poway Unified School District partnership for students who request extra comfort-building.
Are lessons taught in Spanish in Poway?+
Yes. All Un Mar de Colores programs are bilingual — and in Poway, 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 ocean stewardship in Poway?+
Three ways: (1) everything is free, while most Poway surf programs charge $50–$150 per lesson; (2) we are BIPOC-led and our coaches reflect the 46%-BIPOC Poway 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 Poway, not just those who can afford access.
How do I sign my Poway child up?+
Visit our sign-up page or contact us directly. Priority enrollment goes to students of Meadowbrook Middle, Valley Elementary (Poway) and referrals from Poway Unified School District and Poway 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 Poway cohorts fill fast. Reach out now for free enrollment.
All Un Mar de Colores programs are free for Poway 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.