The Courage Campaign

The ocean is our classroom. Courage is the subject.

 

Your gift helps a local Los Angeles organization help more diverse children discover their courage in the waves of the ocean through free surf lessons. Donate today to help us build a courageous 2024. Los Courage Camps is a young and growing Latina-founded registered 501c3 non-profit on a mission to teach the over 2 million diverse children living at, below, or near the poverty line in the city of Los Angeles.

 

Why Courage? Courage is the emotion that sits between fear and hope — the emotion that sits between accepting life circumstances you may have been born into and being a self advocate for change. For children from communities of color in Los Angeles, the traditional school system no longer provides the multitude of experiences and activities that help children learn and practice the critical skill of self advocacy — mentally, verbally, and physically. These experiences and activities are essential for all communities - but especially communities of color. 

Why Surf? In a study looking at the effects of proximity to the coast, researchers found that mental health benefits were greater for people from poorer households, suggesting that coastal settings may help reduce health inequalities. A global review of activities in and around water found that the sea is the most studied water environment for healing. The ocean and surfing not only provide character skills for children, they are also a source of physical and mental health. Good health is of particular importance to individuals belonging to communities that experience health disparities. We believe the ocean is a source of fundamental life lessons, health, and healing, and we are determined to have as many underrepresented children in Los Angeles have the opportunity to experience at least one day in the ocean, no matter which neighborhood they come from. The ocean is our classroom. Courage is the subject.