Have you ever thought about how the ocean makes you feel?
Jameson Winn has. He loves it so much, he sees it in his dreams.
“In my dreams the ocean’s just like a magical place,” the 12-year-old said. “Coming to the beach and dreaming about it just makes me feel a lot more calm and happy."
His younger brother Cole says the ocean makes him feel at peace. “(It’s) calming. The water is warm, the sun’s always out, and it takes away all your problems,” the nine-year-old said.
They live in Julian, and visits to the beach are few and far between. But this summer, they and dozens of other children got to spend a week at Camp Surf in Imperial Beach.
Since 1969, this YMCA overnight camp has been making dreams come true for children all over the world. This year alone nearly 900 children will get the Camp Surf experience.
“We’re really focusing on positive youth development,” said Kapili Pasa, the camp’s waterfront manager. “We use surfing as a really big tool to be able to get them to trust in themselves, trust in each other … and then just to experience the beautiful ocean.”
Nine-year-old Jackson Rosas appreciates the experience. He lives in Escondido and says he’s in the same boat as the Winn brothers.
“I don’t get to see the ocean that often. I don’t surf that often,” Rosas said.
Navine Alavez helps run the YMCA camp programs in Escondido. She said spending a day at the beach is rare for many children who live in the county, and a whole week is simply out of reach for most families — especially those that live on the county’s margins.
“If it weren’t for this week of camp, kids would just stay at home. Some are older siblings taking care of younger siblings, (because their) parents are working,” she said.
This year she and her fellow YMCA Escondido Impact Ambassadors raised $25,000 to change that for 50 Escondido students, including Jackson, who said Camp Surf changed him for the better.
“I feel like I kind of am a new person,” he said. “I was meeting new friends, doing new things and getting out of my comfort zone.”
The Winn brothers feel different too. Maybe it’s the surf legs they grew in just one week.
“This experience at the YMCA has made this life better, and made me dream bigger about things,” Jameson said.
And after harnessing the power of the ocean, they feel like nothing is impossible. “It made me dream bigger of being a pro surfer,” Cole said. “Learning stuff that I didn’t even know a nine-year-old could do.”
Camp Surf is open to all children, and scholarships and financial support are available.
