What is your current role with the Surfrider Foundation?
I am the Executive Committee Vice-Chair and lead the One Watershed program for Surfrider Los Angeles. One Watershed is a beach access equity initiative that brings youth from underrepresented communities in LA County to their local beach for surfing lessons from our partners at Aqua Surf, fun in the sun, and conversations in community watershed conservation.
Anchored in the enjoyment element of Surfrider’s mission, One Watershed works to engender a sense of belonging for participants, and an understanding that the beach belongs to everyone regardless of who you are, where you come from, or how you identify yourself. I help build partnerships with other organizations, plan and coordinate the events, and maintain a strong volunteer community (of which none of this would be possible without).
When and why did you choose to get involved?
I attended a beach clean up after college and it just happened to be a cleanup where they were sharing more about each Surfrider LA program. While I am a terrible surfer, I love the ocean and kids and naturally gravitated towards the One Watershed table. A couple months later I was helping lead the program — it was just meant to be.
Photo: Doug Saribay
What are some local environmental issues that you have witnessed?
Education and accessibility when it comes to the ocean are barriers that I have witnessed. The ocean is the world's greatest ally to climate change. According to experts, the ocean captures 90 percent of excess heat which is central to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing Earth’s climate.
Accessibility is tied to mitigating climate change because it has the ability to increase civic consciousness. A recent study identified that while information plays an important role in encouraging people to take action on solving social issues, the life experiences of an individual actually plays a larger role in influencing decisions. With that said, if more people have a positive experience at the beach, and share a love for the ocean, they might be more inclined to appreciate and take better care of it.
What Surfrider projects have you been involved with? How have these projects impacted your community?
There is a common misconception that all locals born and raised in Southern California spend their childhood growing up at the beach, soaking up the sun, and learning to become expert swimmers and surfers. While this is a reality for some, a large number of Angelenos spend their whole lives living 20 or 30 minutes from the beach, yet have never stepped foot in the ocean. In fact, according to a recent UCLA survey, one of every three local African Americans reported that they visited the beach less than once a year. Beach access inequity disproportionately affects underserved communities and at-risk populations. These populations include children, immigrants, refugees, people of color, low-income, and disabled.
For us, hosting surf lesson events with youth from underrepresented communities in LA is important because many of those that we serve face barriers to visiting the beach — they might have parents who work multiple jobs, have no safe method of transportation, or are unable to spend money on parking, swim lessons, surfboards, and a wetsuit.
I want to give a shout out to the local partners that help make One Watershed a reality; they include Salvation Army LA Central, Los Courage Camps, SwimUpHill, Concretequeenz, Black Surfers Collective, and Intrsxtn Surf. We try to work with a diverse set of communities across both West and East Los Angeles and are continuously looking to work with new organizations each summer.
Do you have any personal examples of when the social justice and environmental movements have intersected?
The ocean is beautiful yet terrifying and in many ways acts as a metaphor for life. In the process of learning how to surf, there are a few obstacles and stages of emotions that most have to overcome:
For children from underrepresented communities in Los Angeles, the ocean and learning how to surf provides an experience that helps them practice critical life skills to accelerate their personal growth and development.
Furthermore, the ocean is therapeutic and a source of physical and mental health. Access to this source of health is especially critical for people from communities facing health inequities. The ocean has the power to teach fundamental life lessons, improve health and healing, bring people together, and shift our relationship with the natural world around us. In what seems like an ever-accelerating world, I believe it is important that every child and community has access to nature’s beauty.
What can Surfrider do to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment?
Expanding programs like One Watershed to other chapters!
What is the most important thing you tell others about Surfrider?
The official mission statement of the Surfrider Foundation is “an organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches, for all people, through a powerful activist network.”
While the organization embodies that, in my opinion, the power of Surfrider is in its community. It has been a powerful experience meeting and working with the team of people that run the Surfrider Los Angeles chapter and beyond. These folks are so incredibly dedicated, day in and day out, and they have become people that I not only look up to but also consider good friends.
I feel the most inspired when I’m working collaboratively on a project with a group of people focused on making a difference for others — and I got really freaking lucky that I met some of the most amazing humans I’ve ever worked with through this organization.
What has been the highlight of your Surfrider experience?
Aside from meeting incredible people and being a part of a strong community, I would say seeing the pure joy and excitement of the children at the OneWatershed events. Kids will come so stoked to be at the beach — because it is such a privilege for them — and be happy spending hours catching sand crabs. It is so gratifying seeing children who are absolutely terrified to go in the water try surfing and stand up on a surfboard for the first time. There is nothing like seeing their huge smiles and pure joy. Those moments remind me of how important our work is to these kids and their families.