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Un Mar de Colores · Santee, CA
Plastic Pollution Action for Santee Communities
Family-friendly participation — kids, grandparents, and neighbors from Santee welcome on the sand.
Un Mar de Colores hosts ongoing Ocean Stewardship cleanup and conservation programming across the Santee area and surrounding coast. Monthly events combine hands-on beach cleanup with environmental justice education, citizen science data collection, and policy literacy. Our Santee programming partners with Santee School District, Santee Library, Town Center Community Park, and all events are free and family-friendly.
Schedule — Santee Program Days
Monthly cleanups, quarterly workshops · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —One-off Earth Day events don't build continuity — you want monthly action with the same community.
- —Your family has been in Santee for generations yet coastal stewardship still feels tourist-first, local-last.
- —Environmental justice isn't in the cleanup conversation — 38% of Santee residents deserve framing beyond litter.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Free means free — no registration fees, no gear purchases, no eco-tourism upsells.
- Quarterly workshops deepen advocacy and community organizing beyond monthly cleanups.
- Watershed-to-ocean connection modules — especially Tijuana River cross-border case study relevant to San Diego.
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
Ocean Stewardship in Santee — What You Should Know
Parents searching beach cleanup near Santee, CA find corporate-sponsored one-day events first. Un Mar cleanups are different: BIPOC-led, monthly continuity, watershed science on the sand, and recruitment prioritizing communities where 38% of residents have been gated from coastal stewardship.
With 17% Spanish-speaking households in Santee, bilingual cleanup briefings and materials are standard — not English-only safety instructions on the sand.
Why Santee Matters to Our Mission
Santee families deserve instructors who look like their kids and speak their language. With 38% BIPOC residents, bilingual coaching isn't a nice-to-have — it's how we earn trust on day one.
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.
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
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 Santee 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
Un Mar de Colores is a BIPOC-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in Oceanside, California in 2018. Our instructors are certified by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Lifeguard Division and hold CPR + First Aid credentials.
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 Santee
Can schools from Santee School District / Grossmont Union High organize cleanup field trips?+
Yes — we partner with Title I schools for field-trip style stewardship events. Contact us to coordinate a Santee school group cleanup with curriculum alignment.
Can adults volunteer beyond cleanups?+
Yes — the Un Mar volunteer program welcomes adults 18+ from Santee for ongoing cleanup leadership, event support, and mentorship. Cleanups are the entry point to deeper movement participation.
Do cleanups provide community service hours?+
Yes — students receive certificates of community service with documented hours suitable for Santee School District / Grossmont Union High requirements. Santee teens get verified environmental service, not generic parking-lot volunteer slots.
Are ocean stewardship 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 ocean stewardship 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 ocean stewardship 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?
Volunteer, donate, or enroll — however you join, you're helping Santee youth access the coast.
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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