Mission

826CHI is a nonprofit youth writing mentorship program and publishing center dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 in their creative and expository writing, and supporting teachers in inspiring their students to write.

We champion the powerful voices of Chicago youth by providing high quality and innovative literacy and arts education, and we amplify their stories through professional publication and showcasing.

We encourage the exploration of endless possibility through the power of writing for students, for teachers, and for communities.

What We Do

826CHI provides individualized instruction, field trips, in-school and community-based writing workshops to students aged 6-18 across Chicago that focus on creative and expository writing.

We prioritize Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students, limited-income students, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and trans students, community and neighborhood schools that do not have selective enrollment and have a low number of existing arts partnerships, as well as students and classes with low-proficiency English Language Learners.

We collaborate and partner with teachers to inspire their students to write and believe in and support teachers as writers.

We also partner with other nonprofit organizations, community organizations, and cultural institutions to bring additional opportunities for students to create and publicly celebrate their stories.

Our services are structured around our understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and dedicated mentorship, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.