Editor’s Note: this article is written by Jennifer Maravola, Coordinator of Campus Recreation Waterfront at the Channel Islands Boating Center.

The California State University Channel Islands Boating Center (CIBC) had a successful 2019 year. The programs expanded based on the continued interest of the local community and students of CSUCI. Our most significant change of classes in 2019 was the free sailing exploration course and multiple harbor paddle cleanups. The center continued to offer courses in sailing, kayaking, sunset kayaking, and stand up paddleboarding. Each course during the academic year is open to all community members.

 

In 2019, the CIBC served over 1,700 participants. The summer months stayed incredibly busy with the youth summer camp operating for over six weeks. The youth camp served over 150 kids total in one and two-week watersports activities. Fifty percent of our summer camp participants were on full-ride scholarships. The 2019 summer camp was also memorable because of our partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CSUCI Santa Rosa Island Research Station, and the Oxnard Marine Center to provide the campers with Marine Science Education. We also served 198 family members during our summer camp Friday Family Days. 

 

Our 2019 was hugely successful with local partnerships. We worked with local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts Troops, Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hollywood Beach Middle School, Oxnard High School, Hueneme High School, and Isbell Middle School. Each group requested different goals, such as a sailing badge, kayaking badge, or a safety presentation followed by a harbor tour and waterfront games. The CIBC also continued to participate in the California State Coastal Cleanup, where participants got on kayaks and lent a community hand in picking up harbor trash. 

 

Also, in 2019, the CIBC staff participated in four community events: Port Hueneme Youth Fair, Safe Boating Expo, California Coastal Cleanup, and the Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids. The staff passed out free life jackets and marketing materials to inform the local community about their access to the waterfront courses and the informational panels in the lobby.  

 

In addition to serving the community, we also serve the CSUCI students, staff, and faculty. We worked with over 21 departments, which include personnel and students from the Division of Student Affairs, faculty from Academic Affairs, and several students from various clubs and organizations. Although the center’s primary goal is to provide safe boating education to participants, we also connect with groups to offer land team building activities. It is not uncommon for groups to reserve the boating center staff for teambuilding exercises without ever visiting the water, something that makes us unique and multi-purposeful. 

 

The upstairs classrooms saw a substantial increase in 2019 from community groups reserving space for a day or multi-day use. The organizations are the Student Academic Success and Equity Initiatives (SASEI), Chicana/o Latina/o Faculty and Staff Associate (CHILFASA), Expository Reading and Writing Course (ERWC), California Physical Education-Health Project (CPE-HP), Ventura County Executive Officer’s, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, NOAA, Ventura County Green Belt Training, REI Central Coast Outdoor Programs, National Marine Sanctuary, Ventura County Public Works, California Native Plant Society, Chumash Tomol Crossing, Division of Boating and Waterways Directors Meeting, The Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics, The National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR), and California Law Enforcement Telecommunication Systems (CLETS). 

 

Our Spring, 2020 community waterfront classes, are open and we encourage you to register to take a class or visit our staff at the front desk. Our Youth Watersports Camp registration will open on March 16, 2020. Please visit our website for more information regarding all the exciting programs the CIBC has to offer: http://www.ciboating.org/