Coast 2 Coast is a Peruvian community-based nonprofit that weaves investigation with imagination, engaging young learners and rural educators in small-scale fishing villages to explore their social-ecological surroundings and build caring relationships through the power of enchantment.
Through youth action research and participatory audiovisual storytelling approaches, we support students in gathering, illustrating, and mobilizing intergenerational knowledge for health, food, Blue Justice, and conservation in the form of their own professional stop-motion animations, photo series, murals, comics, films, maps, and more.
We use surfing and other water-based play practices to cultivate inner-outer strength and meaningful relationships with self, peers, community, and the aquatic environment. We support young people in shaping epic futures that fulfill their aspirations while nurturing the well-being and sustainability of their rural fishing villages.
Wonder, awe, magic, presence.
The moment we've been taken up by a gorgeous sunset or memorized by a legendary story... Enchantment has the power to cultivate relations between peoples and places while expanding our understanding of time and space beyond ourselves.This powerful force reshapes our outlook, fostering a reverence that nurtures more empathetic relationships with the world around and within us.
Enchantment
Participatory Audiovisual Storytelling
Learners co-create creative narratives that mobilize the knowledge they've gathered in the form of fantastic stories expressed through their imaginations, grounded in science, and informed by their local contexts.
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Imagination
Youth-led Participatory Action Research
YPAR is an innovative approach to positive youth and community development in which young people gain tools and training to conduct systematic research to explore their lives, their communities, and the institutions intended to serve them.
Investigation
16
Countries
95
Communities
8679
Participants
As declining fish stocks, rising sea levels, waste mismanagement, habitat destruction, poor governance, and other anthropogenic stressors undermine the well-being of small-scale fishing communities, young people in rural coastal and riparian villages experience a growing sense of disconnection with their social-ecological surroundings.
ABOUT US
We’re a circle of friends—artists, scientists, journalists, researchers, outdoor educators, and surfers—who have spent the past decade collaborating with schools, education nonprofits, and community partners in coastal, lakeshore, and riverside fishing villages around the world. Through the eyes of local youth, we’ve witnessed the remarkable, the challenging, and the hopeful as they advocate for their place in a world shaped by capitalism, neoliberal (sea)food systems, and colonial legacies. We believe in the power of awe-inspiring learning experiences to strengthen social and ecological connections to place. We're excited to partner with educators and students in fishing communities worldwide to help shape sustainable futures for their villages.
Visit the Map from Coast 2 Coast's beta version and interact with content created by our participants.
Explore our Shop
From local students to professional illustrators, our shop features a variety of t-shirts with unique designs that celebrate coastal identities. Explore our collection! Proceeds from every purchase go towards funding Coast 2 Coast workshops, programs, and festivals, enabling more creative opportunities for artists.
Support the Movement!
Make a one-time or monthly donation to fund our participatory transmedia workshops, programs, and festivals! Coast 2 Coast is an initiative of Beyond the Surface, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and donations are tax-deductible.
