Hoist a Child into a Future of Possibilities!

Support Adventure-Inspired Learning Aboard a Tall Ship With Your End-of-Year Gift

As 2022 comes to an end, Central Coast Ocean Adventures (CCOA) wants to thank you for your interest in and support for bringing adventure-inspired learning programs to Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The enthusiasm and warm welcome our schooner Mystic Whaler has received since she arrived at her new home at Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor this year has been phenomenal. The 110-ft long tall ship has already proven invaluable at providing transformational education programming to hundreds of children and as a resource for local Central Coast communities. As a nonprofit, CCOA relies on individual donations to provide our programs at reduced or no cost. Please consider a year-end gift to CCOA and help hoist a child into a future of possibilities through exceptionally engaging and enriching education programs.

DONATE TODAY. THANK YOU!

Already an Invaluable Resource!
Mystic Whaler participated in Santa Barbara’s celebration of the 150th anniversary of its iconic Stearns Wharf on October 8th, provided the inspirational stage for a public performance of Opera Santa Barbara’s selection of scenes from The Pirates of Penzance, and educated and amazed more than 700 children, adults, and families in Oxnard’s Channel Islands Harbor with public deck tours in partnership with the Channel Islands Maritime Museum. CCOA, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, also successfully delivered its dockside Trading in California living-history program to nearly 300 elementary-grade students and 50 teachers and chaperones at no cost to the participating schools. The six-hour immersive educational experience transported the children back in time as merchant mariners to the 1840s, connecting the students to local history and culture while teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) principles, teamwork, and leadership.

Promoting Positive Youth Development
Outdoor experiential education on board a tall ship is unparalleled. The impact of even a day-long program on a child is profound- felt accomplishments and deepened connections to the world, others, and themselves are forged and stay with them long into adulthood. CCOA’s educational philosophy rests on the well-proven fact that practical application and a lived experience deepen and strengthen one’s understanding, retention, and appreciation of newly learned concepts, information, and environments. The intrinsic acts of sailing and navigating a traditionally-rigged tall ship such as Mystic Whaler offer applied learning of nautical skills and STEM academic principles.

Furthermore, the challenge of handling such a sizable vessel is also the perfect medium for social and emotional learning. Participants must step out of their comfort zones and practice effective communication, collaboration, empathy, courage, and self-discipline. Children disembark empowered by their found capabilities, resilience, and with a new perspective of the world and their future possibilities.

Change a Child’s Life in 2023

Central Coast Ocean Adventures is a community nonprofit intent on breaking down the social and economic barriers to enriching educational opportunities. CCOA provides its unique educational programs to schools and youth organizations at a reduced cost or free of charge to balance disparities and make life-affirming education more accessible and equitable. A majority of our funding comes from individual donations.

By donating, you will be giving an opportunity of a lifetime to a young person who might never get to experience an adventure on the sea. No amount of money is too small; every penny counts and goes towards providing the best educational experiences to our community. Thank you for your support!

Change a child’s life with enriching adventure-inspired learning! Donate Today. Thank you!