826 National is an innovative tutoring, writing, and publishing nonprofit based in seven cities across the country. Since starting up in 2002, our goal has been to assist students ages 6-18 with their writing skills while helping teachers get their classes excited about the 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. From the outset, 826 Valencia dedicated itself to giving students individual creative-writing instruction and to getting teachers the help they needed.

Due to overwhelming interest from others around the country, 826 Valencia, the flagship center, now also serves as the headquarters of 826 National, a tutoring and mentorship model that has been duplicated in six other cities: New York, Los Angeles, Ann Arbor, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. Through volunteer support, each of the seven 826 chapters provides drop-in tutoring, class field trips, writing workshops, and in-schools programs—all free of charge—for students, classes, and schools. 826 chapters are especially committed to supporting teachers, offering services and resources for English Language Learners, and publishing student work. 826 programming reaches students at every opportunity—in school, after school, in the evenings, and on weekends.

Each of the 826 National chapters works to produce professional-quality publications written entirely by young people, to forge relationships with teachers in order to create innovative workshops and lesson plans, to inspire students to write and appreciate the written word, and to rally thousands of enthusiastic volunteers to make it all happen.

By offering all of our programming for free, we aim to serve families who cannot afford to pay for the level of personalized instruction their children receive through 826 chapters. It’s our goal to provide project-based learning opportunities to students. This is a teaching and learning model where students engage in the process of creating a tangible product. It involves students in real-life problem-solving activities and ultimately gives students ownership over the learning process. Since much of our focus at 826 is publishing student work, our students learn what that entails by working closely with other students and professionals in the field to create something they and others can enjoy for years to come.