EdSource<\/a> article connected this to generalized reading materials that are misaligned with student interest, leading them to grow disengaged in the material and stop reading altogether.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s an assumption that students don\u2019t like to read and I\u2019ve also seen that not be the case in our programs,\u201d Dunbar said. \u201cIf you could find the right book for a student and you find the thing that they\u2019re interested in, students actually love to read.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the growing popularity of artificial intelligence, educators\u2019 concern about loss of critical thinking, an increase in academic dishonesty and the flattening of a student\u2019s unique personal voice continues to worsen. While 826LA recognizes the potential benefits of AI as an educational tool, they remain aware of its potential impact on learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people are looking for things that make learning easier, they\u2019re chasing the wrong pursuit,\u201d Balboa said. \u201cWhen you struggle with [learning], your brain has to work to wrap itself around the concepts and the application of the concepts, that\u2019s when deep learning happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
826LA aims to create a space where students are encouraged to express their creativity, sharpen their craft and share their experiences. 826LA conducts every creative writing activity fully on paper, providing resources such as volunteer help and physical dictionaries for students throughout the process.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t need a machine to speak for [students], we need them to speak for themselves,\u201d Dunbar said. \u201cWe need that raw, unfiltered, maybe grammatically-not-perfect, authentic voice from students.\u201d<\/p>\n
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826LA conducts every creative writing activity fully on paper, and provides students with resources such as physical dictionaries and volunteer help. (Photo courtesy of 826LA)<\/p>\n
Executive director Jaime Balboa works to bring mindfulness and trauma-informed educational practices to the organization. By incorporating breathing exercises in between activities and providing mindfulness journals where students can privately process their thoughts, Balboa hopes to help students connect with themselves and approach their work with greater clarity.<\/p>\n
More than 90% of students 826LA serves are people of color coming from low-income schools, Balboa said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can think about the pandemic as trauma that we went through five years ago now but the impact continues to linger [so] we needed to be able to teach writing in a mindful way,\u201d Balboa said.<\/p>\n
A recent program at 826LA is the Black Writers Initiative, which was launched in 2022 to provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. The initiative aims to increase the number of Black and African American participants by offering workshops, mentorship and dedicated writing projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of students come from backgrounds where they normally wouldn\u2019t have a lot of help,\u201d South Pasadena Middle School librarian and 826LA volunteer Rozanna Baranets said. \u201cThe most rewarding part of [working with 826LA] is being able to have one-on-one heartfelt conversations based on what they\u2019re reading and learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
More than 800 Los Angeles residents dedicate their time to 826LA as volunteers. Whether they\u2019re assisting students with writing and homework or designing products for the Time Travel Mart, volunteers are essential to the nonprofit\u2019s work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a lot to come in every day [without] getting paid to tutor a bunch of annoying teenagers,\u201d Orellana said with a laugh. \u201cIt shows that they actually care. [The volunteers are] not just teachers, they\u2019re also filmmakers, actors, accountants who actually want to help the next generation of people with writing and homework help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those who work at 826LA, whether they are staff members, volunteers or interns, are deeply embedded in Los Angeles neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are part of the community,\u201d Balboa said. \u201cYou have to start at a place of love and respect for your community and how you can make a positive impact and that\u2019s what [we in] 826LA ask ourselves all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Volunteers work one-on-one with students. (Photo courtesy of 826LA)<\/p>\n
When the Palisades Fire began in the Santa Monica Mountains on Jan. 7, 2025, it did more than destroy the homes of many Los Angeles dwellers; it took away some of their most treasured belongings. Having seen the impacts of the wildfire firsthand, those involved in 826LA looked for a way to help young students who had lost their favorite books.<\/p>\n
826LA also partnered with Labo des Histoires \u2014 a French national nonprofit organization that provides free writing workshops to those under the age of 25 \u2014 and the Jean Cocteau elementary and middle school in France to create an international creative writing exchange between L.A. and Bordeaux.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the fires were happening, I reached out to 826LA,\u201d Rawlins said. \u201cImmediately, they started gathering books and getting them to a kid [who] was staying with me [and] had lost his home.\u201d<\/p>\n
826LA is a firm believer that in order to develop strong writing skills, students also need to become better readers. In the Barnacle & Barnacle Publishing tutoring center, one is surrounded by shelves of books. Students are welcome to spend their breaks sitting comfortably on a couch reading in the \u201cCalm Corner.\u201d From classic literature to graphic novels, 826LA participants have the opportunity to find the right story for them to get lost in or get inspiration from for their own craft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to think of reading and writing as a chore,\u201d Orellana said. \u201cThe more writing I did at 826LA, the more I wanted to read other books to see other styles [of writing].\u201d<\/p>\n
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Students discuss books during their snack break at the Barnacle\u2019s Bookworms event. (Selina Alipour Tabrizi \/ L.A. Times HS Insider)<\/p>\n
Barnacle\u2019s Bookworms, a year-round reading comprehension program, provides something that might not be easy to find in regular schools: choice. During each two hour-long event, 826LA provides hundreds of books for students while also providing one-on-one support. While some students work with a volunteer to improve their vocabulary and comprehension, others are simply provided an opportunity to read their preferred book in a calm and comfortable environment, Dunbar said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf all the different types of writing and academic work, creative writing might have the best chance at combating short attention spans,\u201d Crown said. \u201cCreative writing comes with the challenge to write about something that you\u2019re invested in to create something that you can invest yourself in, and if you can do that, suddenly it\u2019s not hard to pay attention to something for longer than five minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
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826LA hosts a Summer Writers Workshop where students get the chance to write music. (Photo courtesy of 826LA)<\/p>\n
From published books to private journals, most of the 826LA are passionate writers creating a welcoming third space for students to explore their imagination in a supportive writing community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe share our own writings with each other in staff meetings,\u201d Balboa said. \u201cWe do little writing workshops with each other in staff meetings as a mode of professional development and self expression. If we ask that of our students, we should also ask that of ourselves and our volunteers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creative writing is an essential skill<\/a> for youth to learn regardless of their future career plans. The art form does more than improve reading comprehension and communication skills; it helps process stress, complex emotions and build empathy.<\/p>\n\u201cI always think that [writing is] the simplest form of creativity that we can think of, which is a pen and paper,\u201d Romero said. \u201cIt\u2019s something we all have and sometimes we don\u2019t realize that we have it until someone tells us.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In 826LA\u2019s book release parties, young writers have the opportunity to read their original published work for friends, family and peers. (Photo courtesy of 826LA)<\/p>\n
On the surface, the Time Travel Mart appears to be a satirical store stocked with supplies for fictional adventures, but the most meaningful destination lies behind the storefront. Surrounded by books, notebooks and encouraging mentors, young students are finding the confidence to explore creative writing.<\/p>\n
By fostering students\u2019 imagination, 826LA is helping shape the future without using a time machine.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Literacy nonprofit 826LA provides free educational programs to students aged 6 to 18. (Selina Alipour Tabrizi \/ L.A. Times HS Insider)<\/p>\n
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