Southern California is a coastal megaregion offering water-related activities for teens.
Southern California, often referred to as SoCal, is an urban region stretching along a coastal megapolitan area in the state, which includes Greater Los Angeles, Greater San Diego and the Inland Empire. Apart from being one of the most populated areas in the United States, it is also a major cultural and economic center as the site of Hollywood and other entertainment centers. It is a thriving region for pop culture and home to many teen-friendly attractions.
Sports and Recreation Activities
Primarily a coastal region near the Pacific Ocean, Southern California offers a number of water-related sports and recreation activities for teenagers. Teens can take advantage of surf schools, gondola cruises, ferry rides, sports fishing, whale watching and island getaways in many SoCal destinations, including Newport, Huntington Beach and San Diego.
Volleyball and tennis courts, skate parks and other places for bikes and rollerblades are also favorite destinations of teens in Southern California. Malibu's Zuma Beach is known for its on-site volleyball courts and playground. The Mission Valley YMCA Family Skate/Bike Park, the only supervised skate park in San Diego, is a top destination for skaters, bikers and extreme sports enthusiasts.
Arts and Culture Activities
The Santa Monica, Hollywood and Anaheim areas, along with many other destinations around Southern California, are filled with diverse opportunities for teens to explore their interests in arts and culture. Teens can participate in street performances and open mic sessions, enjoy hip, funky and groovy shopping and dining spots and watch movies in trendy theaters. These activities are teen favorites in places like 3rd Street Promenade in downtown Santa Monica, Universal Studios Citywalk in Hollywood, Valencia Town Center in Santa Clarita Valley and Disneyland Park in Anaheim.
Teens can join teen clubs and organizations to get involved in activities to hone their skills and talents. Some favorite teen organizations include the YMCA of San Diego County, Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica and the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles.
Teen Boot Camps
Teen boot camps abound all over the region that typically range from family-centered, fitness, arts and leisure programs to military-style boot camps and programs geared toward troubled teens. Most of these camps are scheduled year-round, although many programs are more active during the summer vacation. A number of these boot camps are situated on university campuses, in theme parks and city and state parks around the Southern California area.
Because of its proximity to Hollywood, filmmaking and performance art boot camps are two of the most frequented offerings in the region. Examples include teen filmmaking programs at Fresh Films and performance arts boot camps of School's Out.
Teen Volunteer and Outreach Programs
Many parts of Southern California feature teen volunteer and outreach programs that allow teens to help with a variety of meaningful activities in the community. Teenagers can get involved in religious activities like the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles' Camp Cedar Lake Christian Camp and community-related projects at Norco's Teen Volunteer Program. As young volunteers, teens can help organize sports leagues, fund-raising campaigns, art shows and exhibits, concert-for-a-cause projects, after-school tutoring programs, and feeding the needy outreach activities.
Tags: Southern California, boot camps, Santa Monica, around Southern, around Southern California, teens help, teens Southern