Un Mar de Colores · Santee, CA
Free Volunteer Training for Santee Adults 18+
Partnership with ocean stewardship cleanups — Santee volunteers deepen into movement leadership.
Un Mar de Colores welcomes adult volunteers (18+) from Santee to support beach cleanups, youth mentorship, event logistics, and community organizing across San Diego County. Santee volunteers regularly support our programming at OB Pier (17 miles) and Coronado Central (16 miles) (closest breaks to Santee) and partner community sites including Santee School District and Santee Library. We provide free orientation, cultural competency training, and pay for your background check.
Schedule — Santee Program Days
Ongoing (monthly events + weekly program support) · Completely free
You Might Be Feeling This
- —You have professional skills (logistics, marketing, tutoring) but generic volunteer roles waste your Santee expertise.
- —One-off Earth Day cleanups don't build community — you want monthly action with the same crew.
- —Bilingual volunteer briefings matter — most cleanup instructions in San Diego default to English-only.
What Changes When Youth Get in the Water
- Bilingual volunteer briefings and materials — 17% households in Santee fully included.
- Professional development hours documented — certificates of service for employers and schools.
- Cultural competency training for every direct-youth volunteer — mentor BIPOC teens respectfully.
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
Volunteer Programs in Santee — What You Should Know
Community organizing training for Santee volunteers ready to move from debris removal to advocacy — quarterly workshops deepen movement skills.
How much does it cost to volunteer with youth programs? Background checks alone often cost $40–$75. Un Mar pays background checks and provides free orientation and cultural competency training for Santee direct-youth volunteers.
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.
Serving Santee means meeting families where they are: San Diego schools, community centers, and partner orgs that already hold trust. We don't wait for families to find the beach — we bring youth to the water.
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
Volunteers are the backbone of Un Mar de Colores. Monthly beach cleanups, weekly after-school program support, annual Surf Fiesta events, and ongoing community organizing all rely on volunteers from across San Diego County. We welcome adult volunteers (18+) with a range of skill sets and time commitments — from single-event cleanup volunteers to weekly mentors supporting Ocean Stewards. All volunteers complete a free orientation and a paid background check, and we provide cultural competency training to every direct-youth volunteer.
- →Volunteer orientation and safety
- →Background check and youth-safety training
- →Cultural competency training
- →Program-specific coaching (if direct-youth volunteer)
- →Event logistics and setup
- →Community organizing and advocacy
What's Included — Free for Every Santee Youth
- ✓Free volunteer training
- ✓Background check paid by Un Mar
- ✓Volunteer appreciation events
- ✓Professional development hours
- ✓Branded volunteer gear
- ✓Certificate of service for school/work
Why Un Mar de Colores
Board and staff leadership is BIPOC-majority. Decisions about Santee 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 — Volunteer Programs in Santee
Is there volunteer appreciation for Santee adults?+
Yes — branded volunteer gear and annual appreciation events recognize labor publicly. Santee volunteers are movement builders, not invisible nonprofit infrastructure.
How often are beach cleanup volunteer events?+
Monthly cleanups across Oceanside, Imperial Beach, Cardiff, and partner sites accessible from Santee. Quarterly workshops deepen advocacy skills for volunteers ready to organize beyond debris removal.
What is cultural competency training?+
Training prepares volunteers to mentor BIPOC youth respectfully — avoiding savior dynamics, honoring cultural context, and supporting trauma-informed environments. Required before direct-youth pairing for Santee mentors.
Are volunteer programs 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 volunteer programs 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 18+. 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 volunteer programs 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?
Ready to get your child in the water? Contact Un Mar de Colores — priority enrollment for Santee Title I school students.
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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