Welcome 826 Valencia

826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students with their writing skills.

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826 News
01.13.2021

Teacher of the Month Resumes, Thanks to Grant from KKR

826 Valencia has always held an appreciation for teachers at its core. Since 2008, we have invited colleagues, students, and parents of students in the…

826 News
12.02.2020

Where Are We Now? 826 Programs in 2020

This unprecedented, historic, generation-defining year continues. As of this update, we’ve been essentially sheltering-in-place for 9 months—more than…

Uncategorized
10.14.2020

Dear Voter: Postcards and letters from our students

Students from all our programs are spending the final weeks leading up to this election writing letters to prospective voters, sharing the issues that are…

826 News
10.06.2020

Join us for Personal Statement workshops

We’re excited to announce a series of very special Personal Statement workshops to support seniors applying to college in 2020! While an in-person…

826 News
06.03.2020

Black Lives Matter.

Para Español, haga cliq aquí. Dear community, At 826 Valencia, our work is to amplify our students’ voices. But…

826 News
04.30.2020

826 Valencia Programs Go Digital

“One sunny day there lived a traveler, and her name was Sasha. Now, Sasha was a normal fifteen-year-old. But when she…

826 News
03.31.2020

Update: Our Programs During COVID-19

I am a rushing river, adapting to change. I can go with the flow, getting…

826 News
03.13.2020

SFUSD and 826 Valencia Closures

Dear 826 Valencia community, The San Francisco Unified School District made the decision yesterday to close all schools for three weeks beginning Monday,…

826 News
03.12.2020

Meet our March Teacher of the Month, Lenore Kenny

We are delighted to announce Lenore Kenny as our March Teacher of the Month! Ms. Kenny is an educator who has acted as…

826 News
03.09.2020

A message to volunteers about COVID-19

Dear valued volunteers, The health and safety of our 826 Valencia community is very important to us, and as such we are…

826 News
03.09.2020

The 2020 Bookeaters’ Bash: Postponed

Save the date for this inspiring benefit event in support of our free writing, tutoring, and publishing programs.

Press & Recognition
03.06.2020

The importance of wonderful spaces for students: 826 Chapters in Newsweek

Former executive director of 826michigan, Amanda Uhle, wrote about the need for students to have wonderful and weird spaces in Newsweek.

826 News
01.14.2020

2020 scholarship applications are now open!

In 2020, 826 Valencia will be awarding multiple $20,000 scholarships to outstanding high school seniors in SFUSD. To be eligible, students must: Have participated in…

826 News
01.07.2020

Meet Paul Cartier, Volunteer of the Month

As we start a new year, it’s important to look back on some of the things that made the last one so successful. One of…

826 News
12.14.2019

Meet our December Teacher of the Month, Bonnie Kuczborski!

Before we turn the page on 2019 and close out a great year of programming, events, and community fun, there are a few things left…

826 News
12.09.2019

Get involved with the Young Authors’ Book Project!

Mark your calendars for one of our most in-depth tutoring experiences and sign up!

826 News
12.06.2019

Congratulations to the 826 Build Team!

Our three centers are known for their whimsy and wonder, but they weren’t magically imbued with such qualities. We had some pretty special folks who…

826 News
11.25.2019

Meet Debra Asher, our November Volunteer of the Month

Our November Volunteer of the Month Debra Asher has been involved in our After-School Program at BVHM for three years, and we are so grateful…

teacher of the month
11.20.2019

Three cheers for our November Teacher of the Month!

November is a month filled with gratitude, and while we’ve got plenty of folks to thank during this time, there are some who deserve a…

826 News
10.28.2019

Meet our October Volunteer of the Month!

“Hooray! Igor is the best!” That’s what our staff has to say about our October Volunteer of the Month, Igor Belogolovsky, who’s been an indispensable…

826 News
10.25.2019

Meet Tadd Scott, our October Teacher of the Month

We’re thrilled to announce Tadd Scott as our October Teacher of the Month! An English teacher — and 826 teacher-partner — from Mission High School…

826 News
10.24.2019

The 826 Quarterly Vol. 28 release party!

‘Twas a crisp Saturday night in the Mission when we welcomed folks from far and wide into our Mission Center for a celebratory (and cookie-filled)…

826 News
10.08.2019

We’ve got 900 butterflies in our windows — here’s why

900 butterflies made out of paper, ribbon, and pipe cleaners currently grace the windows of 826 Valencia’s three locations. Each butterfly, as well as the…

826 News
09.18.2019

Meet our September Teacher of the Month!

We’re delighted to announce Tasha Pasternack as our September Teacher of the Month! Tasha is an English teacher at Balboa High School, where she’s recognized…

826 News
09.18.2019

Mark your calendars: Personal Statement Weekend is coming!

826 Valencia is proud to announce our eleventh annual weekend-long personal statement tutoring event, The Great San Francisco Personal Statement Weekend, on November 2 and…

826 News
09.17.2019

Our team just grew (by a lot!)

As we continue to increase the number of students we serve and places we serve them, we’ve also grown the size of our team! Over…

826 News
09.17.2019

Meet our September Volunteer of the Month

Our volunteers are like lighthouses in the wave-filled ocean of life. We’ve been especially thankful for Amy Sheth, our September volunteer of the month, as…

826 News
09.13.2019

Student podcasts featured at Diaspora Voiced

The talented students of our Tenderloin Center are taking the Bay Area art scene by storm! A collection of podcasts written and recorded by students…

826 News
09.05.2019

Meet Mitchell, our Volunteer of the Month!

Our summer has finally come to a close (sigh), and it simply wouldn’t be in the pirate spirit to not acknowledge our summer volunteers. Volunteer…

826 News
08.28.2019

Check out our most recent (and most caffeinated) collaboration

Here at 826, we’re always looking for exciting and innovative ways to share the amazing writing our students create every day. Thankfully, there are a…

826 News
08.22.2019

Meet our 2019 scholarship winners!

We are proud of each and every one of our students every year, but once in a while we get to honor a select few…

826 News
08.19.2019

Celebrating the Start of Another School Year

In August, the weather in the Bay Area can sometimes be a little too hot to handle, but there’s another type of heating up that…

Press & Recognition
08.16.2019

Young Authors’ Workshop participant CJ MacKnight featured on KALW

CJ MacKnight, a longtime 826 student and participant in our Young Author’s Workshop was featured on KALW — along with two other young media makers…

826 News
08.12.2019

Get to Know Volunteer of the Month Bratati Karmakar!

Our volunteers come from far and wide to support our programs— some from the magical woods, others from the high seas, and in the case…

826 News
07.25.2019

Meet our summer 2019 interns

We welcome amazing interns every season, and an especially large and dedicated crew in the summer. This passionate group supports our students and staff in…

826 News
07.11.2019

“From Guatemala to a U.S. university: my American Dream”

826 Valencia alumnus, scholarship winner, and keynote speaker at our 2019 Bookeaters’ Bash Gilda Temaj Marroquin wrote a powerful piece about her…

826 News
07.11.2019

Meet Volunteer of the Month Christine Innes

Our work requires a big community. In addition to volunteer tutors, we need deck-swabbers, fish-bowl-cleaners, and gnome-home-painters. Another important type of volunteer? Designers!…

826 News
06.18.2019

Young authors celebrate We All Belong: reflections about borders

On the evening of May 23, a small crowd gathered at The Beat Museum, located in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood. They were there to…

826 News
06.10.2019

Teachers of the Month: Jennifer Stangland and Kristy Morrison

We’re happy to wrap up the school year by announcing our April and May Teachers of the Month, Ms. Jennifer Stangland and Ms.

826 News
04.12.2019

We’re now accepting applications for the 2019 Young Authors’ Workshop!

Each summer, 826 Valencia hosts its annual Young Authors’ Workshop (YAW), a three-week writing camp open for students entering grades ten through twelve, who are…

826 News
04.04.2019

Announcing 826 Valencia’s Pizza Poetry Project

We’re very excited about National Poetry Month around here! On top of our partnership with Ritual Coffee Roasters, we’re also teaming up…

826 News
03.14.2019

Meet our 2019 spring interns!

We recently welcomed a new amazing intern cohort for the spring. Keep reading to get to know the fabulous crew powering our programs.

826 News
02.10.2019

Our Mission Bay Center’s doors are now open!

We're open for business! Stop by our new Mission Bay Center to see what our excitement is all about.

Get Involved

Volunteer

Volunteers make our work possible! There are a bunch of ways to help out. Learn more and get involved.

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Donate

Our programs are funded almost entirely by donations from people like you. Support 826 Valencia today.

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Learn about our Programs

826 Valencia Programs
All Programs
After-School Programs

There’s a lot going on at our centers after school, from homework help to creative writing prompts.

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Field Trips to 826

Teachers, bring your classes to 826 Valencia for a day of high-energy storytelling fun.

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In-School Programs

We bring volunteer tutors into schools to provide individualized support with writing projects.

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Workshops

These writing classes are offered in the evenings and on weekends and are open to all students, ages 8 to 18.

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College & Career Readiness

Scholarships, personal statement support, and youth leadership opportunities to help students prepare for their future.

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Summer at 826

The learning doesn’t stop in the summertime at 826 Valencia.

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Student Voices

I Am From My Family
By: Andrea A., age 12
My mom was born in Guatemala and my dad was born in Honduras. My sister and I were born here, in San Francisco. I have four family members in total, not includi…
Keep Reading
If Kids Could Vote
By: Zara R., age 8
If kids could vote for presidents, I would want to vote. There are three presidents to vote for: Nose Picker, Pencil Chewer, and Lice Spreader. I would want to …
Keep Reading
DREAMers won’t give up
By: Carlos G., age 18
Trump’s election has led to an uncertain, difficult time for immigrants. Although consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is being kept i…
Keep Reading