826 National is a nonprofit organization that provides strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of its network of eight writing and tutoring centers. 826 centers offer a variety of inventive programs that provide under-resourced students, ages 6-18, with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. We also aim to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. Last year our tutoring centers — located in Ann Arbor, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC — served over 29,000 students.
Overview of 826 Programs
Since its founding in San Francisco in 2002 by award-winning author Dave Eggers and educator Ninive Calegari, 826 has sparked students’ imaginations. Our programs are completely free for all students and steeped in the simple idea that celebrating creativity is key to engaging and assisting youth. Ultimately, as public schools continue to cut back or eliminate arts programs, we hope that our model offers a sustainable way to replace arts in education programming for low-income and under-resourced young people in urban areas.
· After-School Tutoring
At least four days a week during the academic school year, 826 centers welcome students for free tutoring after school. During this time, trained 826 volunteers work with the students one-on-one, assisting them with their homework, regardless of subject. After the students’ homework is complete, they are encouraged to complete thirty minutes of reading with their tutor. The final hour is dedicated to writing. During the summer, many of our centers cater exclusively to English language learners.
· Field Trips
Several times a week, 826 centers welcome entire classes for a two-hour interactive, high-energy writing event, such as our signature Storytelling & Bookmaking program. During this program, students write their own books, which are then illustrated and bound, all within the two hour visit.
· In-Schools Projects
It is not feasible for all students to come to us, so on a regular basis, we dispatch teams of volunteers into local public schools. At a teacher’s request, we will send volunteers into a classroom to provide one-on-one assistance to students as they tackle writing projects such as working on articles for the school newspapers, oral histories, or college entrance essays.
Our annual Young Authors’ Book Project is one of our most popular In-Schools Projects. Working closely with teachers, we match a well-known guest author, and volunteer adult writers and editors, with students at a school for a semester. The adults work closely with students as they write and edit pieces that are ultimately collected and professionally published. When the book is finished, the guest author, who has written the book’s introduction, hosts a public reading with the newly published authors. Take a sneak peek at exactly what goes into one of our book projects during this video clip from 826 Valencia's 2008-2009 book project, Show of Hands: Young Authors Reflect on the Golden Rule.
· Student Publishing
We know that the quality of student work is greatly enhanced when it’s shared with an authentic audience, so we are committed to publishing student work. In addition to our Young Authors’ Book Projects, we publish quarterlies, student newspapers, chapbooks, and ‘zines.
· Workshops
826 offers free workshops that provide in-depth writing instruction in a variety of areas that schools often cannot include in their curriculum, such as college entrance essay writing, cartooning, bookmaking, writing a play, or starting a ’zine. All workshops are project-based and are taught by experienced, accomplished professionals. Connecting students from under-resourced communities with these creative and generous individuals provides the students with mentorship they likely wouldn't have otherwise.
· Scholarships
826 offers financial assistance to college-bound students who need it through ScholarMatch, a website and service that matches students in need of financial aid with potential donors. Multiple centers, including 826 Valencia and 826 Boston, also offer a handful of individual scholarships to their students annually.
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