826 Valencia

SUPPORTING STUDENTS AGES 6 TO 18 WITH THEIR WRITING SKILLS & HELPING TEACHERS GET STUDENTS EXCITED ABOUT WRITING. WE ADVOCATE THAT STRONG WRITING SKILLS ARE FUNDAMENTAL TO FUTURE SUCCESS & THAT GREAT LEAPS IN LEARNING CAN BE MADE WHEN SKILLED TUTORS WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH STUDENTS.

IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS: 826 VALENCIA PARTNERS WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT SAN FRANCISCO TO COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP WRITING CURRICULA. WE ALSO BRING TEAMS OF 826 STAFF AND VOLUNTEER TUTORS TO PARTNER SCHOOLS WHERE WE SUPPORT STUDENTS 3:1 WITH WRITING PROJECTS. IN FY21, WE SUPPORTED 18 TEACHERS AND 595 STUDENTS AT 9 SCHOOLS, ESTABLISHING REGULAR WEEKLY PARTNERSHIPS WITH CLASSROOMS AND SUPPORTING VIA ZOOM AND GOOGLE CLASSROOM DUE TO COVID-19. ONE HIGHLIGHT WAS OUR YOUNG AUTHORS BOOK PROJECT IN SPRING 2021. WE WORKED INTENSIVELY WITH SEVEN CLASSES ACROSS FOUR SCHOOL SITES IN SFUSD'S AFRICAN AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENT AND LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE (AAALI). STUDENTS WROTE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF BEING BLACK IN AMERICAN AND WORKED WITH 826 STAFF AND TUTORS TO CRAFT POWERFUL PIECES OF WRITING IN A BOOK ENTITLED, "OUR HISTORY IS DEEPER THAN WHAT THEY TELL US."

AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS:826 VALENCIA PROVIDES FREE AFTER-SCHOOL TUTORING AND WRITING SUPPORT AT FOUR LOCATIONS IN SAN FRANCISCO, INCLUDING OUR THREE WRITING CENTERS AND OUR PARTNER SCHOOL, BUENA VISTA HORACE MANN (BVHM). STUDENTS ENROLL FOR A MINIMUM OF TWO DAYS PER WEEK FOR HOMEWORK AND INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT WITH READING AND WRITING. TOGETHER, THESE PROGRAMS SERVED 620+ STUDENTS IN 2020-2021. WE PARTNERED WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO AMPLIFY OUR STUDENTS' VOICES, INCLUDING FEATURING STUDENT WRITING FROM OUR MISSION BAY CENTER ON BUS STOPS THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE WARRIORS FOUNDATION. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT FROM FISCAL YEAR 2021 WAS A FESTIVE, CAKE-THEMED WRITING PROJECT FOR OUR STUDENTS AT OUR AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM IN THE MISSION CENTER. AFTER SERVING STUDENTS VIRTUALLY LAST YEAR, WE WELCOMED STUDENTS BACK TO OUR CENTERS THIS FALL.

SUMMER WORKSHOPS AND CAMPS:WE SERVED 256 STUDENTS IN SUMMER 2021 THROUGH WRITING AND SCIENCE-THEMED DAY CAMPS AND WORKSHOPS. PROGRAMS INCLUDED: A) EXPLORING WORDS SUMMER CAMP - WHERE 3-5 STUDENTS COMPLETE A SERIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE THEMED WRITING PROJECTS; B) EXPLORING LEADERSHIP SUMMER CAMP - WHERE 6 - 8TH GRADERS DEVELOP LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS BY EXPLORING ISSUES THAT FACE THEIR COMMUNITIES; AND C) YOUNG AUTHOR'S WORKSHOP (YAW), AN CREATIVE WRITING CAMP WHERE HIGH SCHOOLERS EXPLORE A RANGE OF LITERARY GENRES AND COMPOSE LITERARY WORKS. IN RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK FROM FAMILIES, WE OFFERED BOTH IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL PROGRAM OPTIONS.