826 National is thrilled to be a part of a strong population of nonprofits dedicated to youth and writing. We encourage you to learn more about the inspiring organizations found below.

Founded in 1996, Youth Speaks is the leading nonprofit presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs in the country. Presenters of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, reading series, and more, Youth Speaks also offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs during the school day and the after-school hours, and conducts numerous publications and youth development programs. Location: San Francisco, CA / Contact: info@youthspeaks.org or (415) 255-9065

InkTank is the only free community-wide writing workshop in the country, a grassroots collective of over 150 professional writers, editors, and publishers, committed to connecting people through the power of words, in workshops and writing groups, publications and performance. Location: Cincinnati, OH / Contact: contact@inktank.org or (513) 542-0195

Word Street is a drop-in tutoring and literary arts center that provides free services, including homework help, standardized test preparation, reading and writing skills acquisition, and creative writing instruction to youth 7-18 in Pittsfield and Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Location: Pittsfield, MA / Contact: information@wordstreet.org or (413) 997-3307

PEN American Center is an association of writers working to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international fellowship. PEN sponsors public literary programs and forums on current issues, sends prominent authors to inner-city schools to encourage reading and writing, administers literary prizes, and promotes international literature that might otherwise go unread in the United States. Location: New York, NY / Contact: pen@pen.org or (212) 334-1660

Write Around Portland

Write Around Portland runs volunteer-facilitated workshops for people affected by HIV/AIDS, survivors of domestic violence, people in recovery from drug/alcohol addiction, people in prison, seniors in foster care, people with physical or mental disabilities, teenagers living on the street, low-income adults, and others who might not have access to the power of writing and community because of income, isolation, or other barriers. Location: Portland, OR / Contact: info@writearound.org or (503) 796-9224

Badgerdog

Badgerdog's programming follows a two-fold mission that seeks to serve both professional creative writers and the children of high-needs schools. Through teaching and publishing, their mission is to amplify the voices of the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the international, and traditional writers of all ages by offering education programs and by reviving reputable, defunct literary journals. Location: Austin, TX / Contact: info@badgerdog.org or (512) 538-1305

Intersection for the Arts

Intersection for the Arts is San Francisco's oldest alternative art space (est. 1965) and has a long history of presenting new and experimental work in the fields of literature, theater, music and the visual arts, and also in nurturing and supporting the Bay Area's cultural community through service, technical support, and mentorship programs. Intersection provides a place where provocative ideas, diverse art forms, artists, and audiences can intersect one another. Location: San Francisco, CA / Contact: info@theintersection.org or (415) 626-2787

Bay Area Writing Project

The Bay Area Writing Project (BAWP), housed in the Graduate School of Education, is a collaborative program between UC Berkeley and Bay Area schools. For over 30 years, BAWP has been a vital resource for teachers and schools in the Bay Area, not only in the teaching of writing but also as a model of professional development, teacher leadership and reform. Location: Berkeley, CA / Contact: bettypaz@berkeley.edu or (510) 642-0971

National Writing Project

The National Writing Project is the premier effort to improve writing in America. Through its professional development model, NWP builds the leadership, programs, and research needed for teachers to help their students become successful writers and learners. Location: Berkeley, CA / Contact: nwp@writingproject.org or 510-642-0963

Mission Learning Center

Mission Learning Center, a 501(c)3 community-based organization, provides literacy education and training programs to children up to eleven years of age and their families, so they can develop the skills required to attain personal and economic freedoms, as well as strengthen the entire San Francisco Mission neighborhood. Location: San Francisco, CA / Contact: info@mlcsf.org or 415.575.3535

Edutopia

The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. Since that time, we have been documenting, disseminating, and advocating for exemplary programs in K-12 public schools to help these practices spread nationwide. Location: San Francisco, CA / Contact: edutopia@glef.org or (415) 662-1600

Independent Publishing Resource Center

The Independent Publishing Resource Center facilitates creative expression and identity by providing individual access to the resources and tools for the creation of independently published media and art. Since its inception in 1998 the center has been dedicated to encouraging the growth of a visual and literary publishing community by offering a space to gather and exchange information and ideas, as well as to produce work. Our ongoing workshop program offers affordable courses in self-publishing, creative writing, web-design, letterpress and printmaking. Each year we also reach out to hundreds of local children and teens, teaching them zine-making, media literacy and critical thinking skills. Location: Portland. OR / Contact: info@iprc.org or (503) 827-0249

NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program

Script Frenzy is going on right now! Script Frenzy is a world-wide writing event where kids and adults all around the world create an original, full-length screenplay—or stage play—in the single month of June. With a wild deadline fast approaching, writers chuck self-doubt and pesky editing tendencies right out the window, and lose themselves in the rush of creation. This is truly a Script Frenzy, where typing out beautiful, flawed stories that no one else could have dreamt up is exactly the point! As with all Office of Letters and Light events, Script Frenzy is free. This isn’t a beauty pageant, so there are no valuable prizes awarded or "Best Of" categories. Each and every writer who attempts their goal is victorious and awe-inspiring and will get a Script Frenzy Participant Certificate and web icon proclaiming this fact. Really, you have nothing to lose—except knowing that you could have written a better movie or play than the one you just watched, but you didn’t. Location: San Francisco, CA / Contact: http://ywp.scriptfrenzy.org

Studio STL

Studio STL helps students discover, develop, and celebrate their individual voice through writing. All of our programs are based on the belief that a literary toolbox and writing skills— whether for fun, for school, in personal and professional life — are indispensable, lifelong gifts. Location: St. Louis, MO / Contact: LeslieStudioSTL@gmail.com

Austin Bat Cave

Founded in 2007, Austin Bat Cave is a nonprofit organization that provides children and teenagers with opportunities to develop their creative and expository writing skills outside of the classroom. We connect a diverse population of young writers and learners with a vibrant community of adult volunteers in Austin. Currently, ABC offers a variety of creative-writing workshops for elementary, middle school, and high school students. All of our services are free. In the future, ABC plans to open a permanent, after-school writing and tutoring center in Central Austin. Location: Austin, Texas. Contact: austinbatcave@gmail.com

WriterCoach Connection

WriterCoach Connection brings trained community volunteers into public school classrooms to give students at all levels of ability the one-on-one help they need to master writing and thinking skills. Founded at Berkeley High in 2001, the program serves 7-10th grade students in six East Bay middle and high schools. WCC coaches provide students with individual attention, challenge students to think more deeply, and offer personalized encouragement to allow students to build confidence as writers. Our coaches are parents, retirees, college students, and working people who commit an hour or two per week during the school year. Location: Berkeley/Albany/Oakland, CA Contact: writercoachconnect@yahoo.com or (510) 524-2319.

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