It’s a beautiful cycle: students who once learned to paddle through community programs are now learning how to lead them.
This summer, that magic is happening in Loreto.
Coach Ginni Callahan is guiding a 6-week leadership training program designed to nurture emerging sea kayak leaders. These are young adults most of whom took their first paddles strokes on free Club outings. Now, they’re ready to give back.
Each week, the training weaves together trip planning, risk management, and the art of effective leadership. On-water outings become classrooms where everybody learns at their level:
New participants get their first taste of the sea—learning basic safety and boat control.
Leaders-in-training practice guiding real trips, taking on responsibility and growing into their roles.
Experienced guides—Ramon Arce, Ruben Bastida, and Jano Garibay—mentor the next generation, sharing their wisdom and refining their own teaching through the process.
And Coach Ginni oversees it all, fine-tuning the learning environment like a sea captain trimming sails.
“It gives me a deep sense of purpose,” says Ginni. “I love watching people come alive through learning—especially when they’re sharing what they love with others.”
The results ripple outward. Every outing led by trainees is also a free experience for someone new—a chance for more young people in Loreto to explore the natural wonder they live beside.
This is how community grows.
This is how stewardship takes root.
This is how leaders are made.
