Paddlestar Galactica, the ping-pong tournament event supporting 826DC’s programs, returns on Saturday, April 27th, 1 PM to 4 PM at SPIN DC! Learn more and sign up here.

Gallery Walk

In week two of our YABP programming, students participated in “the gallery walk.” For this activity, 826DC staff compiled over 20 social justice images from the 20th century to present–everything from the rainbow white house to a 1960s KKK rally. Students viewed the various images posted around the classroom, and were able to respond to them through writing. Their responses included the raw feelings the images evoked, the questions they raised, and the memories they elicited.

Building off of the previous weeks’ heavy emphasis on identity, the gallery walk provided a space for students to consider the connection between who they are and the greater social context. The activity not only helped students explore how different events make them feel, but also encouraged them to consider how these events (past and present) have impacted their identity. Overall, the activity provided a jumping off point for defining social justice and prompting students to consider social injustices they may have experienced in their own lives.


Emily Benn interned with 826DC in Spring of 2015 and again in Fall of 2016. She is a recent graduate of the George Washington University where she double majored in English and Human Services. Ultimately, Emily hopes to pursue a career in secondary education. In her free time, Emily enjoys curating music for her GW radio show, cooking with friends, and dancing.

Exploring Intersectionality with The SEED School & Bruce Monroe @ Park View Elementary

By Emily Benn, 826DC Intern, Spring 2015/Fall 2016

The SEED School of Washington, DC

To launch a discussion on identity and intersectionality, students participated in activities that encouraged them to think about themselves as multi-faceted individuals and writers with unique perspectives. To begin these activities, 826DC writing mentors and student writers wrote self-describing characteristics on sticky notes. Students considered various aspects of their identity: “I’m female,” “I’m black,” “I’m Christian,” “I love fashion,” “I’m a singer,” “I’m creative,” “I’m an athlete,” “I’m an actor” and “I have many siblings” are examples of characteristics that students wrote to describe who they are and the various parts of their identity.

Students’ individual identities were compiled into word clouds, a collage of students’ words, and the presented to students as a continual visual reminder of the multiplicities of identity. Students saw the complexity of their identities represented on paper while also becoming more aware of the other diverse community members that exist in their classroom.


 

Emily Benn interned with 826DC in Spring of 2015 and again in Fall of 2016. She is a recent graduate of the George Washington University where she double majored in English and Human Services. Ultimately, Emily hopes to pursue a career in secondary education. In her free time, Emily enjoys curating music for her GW radio show, cooking with friends, and dancing.


By Lara Fishbane, 826DC Intern, Spring 2017

Bruce Monroe @ Park View Elementary

In addition to discussing their word clouds, writers at Bruce Monroe @ Park View Elementary School participated in a “step in step out” activity.

 

Intern Lara Fishbane sets the scene:

Students gather in a circle standing shoulder to shoulder. (826DC Programs Director) Lacey reads a question. Students are told to step forwards if it’s true. Some questions are easy: if you like cats, if you like dogs, if you live in a house. Others make students shift uncomfortably: if you don’t always have enough food to eat, if you feel unsafe where you live. The movements in and out of the circle begin to illustrate the complexities of identity to the students. They don’t know the term intersectionality, but each step forward and each one held back is showing the students how to piece theirs together. Intersectionality refers to the connections between our multiple identities–race, class, gender, sexual identity, ableism–and how these varying aspects of who we are cause us to be privileged or oppressed. It explains why the student who steps forward as a girl also steps forward to feeling unsafe where she lives. It explains why the student who steps forward as Hispanic may not step forward when asked if he sees people in TV and other media who look like him.

As students step forwards and back, thinking about how each question relates to his/her own identity, they’re also noticing how other students move. They notice that each student moves in a unique pattern because everyone comes from different backgrounds and experiences. The questions asked students to consider facets of their identity that they may have never thought about before. This was sometimes uncomfortable, but the discomfort reminded us that not everyone comes from equally privileged backgrounds.

After thinking about identity in a group context, students returned to their seats to begin piecing together identity heads with “I am” statements. This activity gave power to the students because they could write the aspects of their identity that they thought defined them, and not just the ones externally imposed on them. They could use as many sticky notes as they wanted, writing a different “I am …” on each one. At the end, students held their heads up, filled with their interests, their demographics, their communities. The cloud of sticky notes helped students visualize the multifacetedness of each of their identities. They was no singular “I am” statement that summarized their identity and each one was important in making the cloud.


Lara Fishbane is a senior at Georgetown University studying English and Economics. She is passionate about writing, education reform, and exploring the relation between the two. She’s excited to be working as a Publishing and Production intern with 826DC because she wants to help students express themselves through writing and create meaningful impact. When she’s not interning or studying, you’ll find Lara on long runs, hikes, or just lost in a book.

826DC is Recruiting Two AmeriCorps Service Members

826DC is seeking two creative, experienced, dynamic, and highly organized AmeriCorps VISTA service members who will support the development and growth of our various programs as our next Volunteer Coordinator and Institutional Relations Specialist.

The Volunteer Coordinator will report to the Programs Director and will require close collaboration with program staff and the Executive Director. The Institutional Relations Specialist will report to the Director of Development and will also require close collaboration with the Executive Director.

826DC is dedicated to teaching creative and expository writing to underserved students ages 6 to 18, and to helping DC teachers inspire their students to write. We believe that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. 826DC is the newest member of the national network of 826 chapters, co-founded by the award-winning author Dave Eggers, which was voted one of the top 30 companies to work for by GOOD Magazine.

826DC is an equal opportunity employer committed to being a multicultural organization. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

For Full Position Descriptions, Click the Links Below.

Volunteer Coordinator Job Description

Institutional Relations Specialist Job Description

Application Instructions:

1. Review the VISTA Assignment Description (search 826 DC in the Program Name field at this link).
2. Submit your application through the AmeriCorps website.
3. Email a cover letter, resume, and a writing sample to hr@826dc.org.

The deadline to apply is May 26, 2017. Please, no phone calls.

What is the Young Authors’ Book Project?

By Emily Benn, 826DC Intern, Spring 2015/Fall 2016

826DC’s Young Authors’ Book Project (YABP) aims to help students see themselves as writers by providing them the opportunity to become published authors. Students work, once a week in class, with an assigned 826 volunteer writing mentor to help develop and revise essays around a pre-determined topic. After months of writing and revising, students submit final drafts to 826DC staff who then compile the most powerful pieces for publication. YABP culminates in a book release party, celebrating students for their hard work and great writing.

This year, student essays focused specifically on social justice issues and cultural traditions. 826DC had the pleasure of hosting its Young Authors’ Book Project at Bruce Monroe Elementary–working with 5th grade students–as well as the SEED School of Washington, DC–working with 9th 10th, and 11th graders. 826DC worked in collaboration with Bruce Monroe and SEED teachers to develop these themes–wanting to give students a space to explore their identities, reflect on their experiences, and celebrate their cultures. Throughout the fall semester, students worked with their teachers and 826 volunteers to develop pieces on their names, family, Thanksgiving customs, and times they felt they had been judged prematurely. We are excited to use this blog as a space to share some of the activities we did with students–delving deeper into identity and intersectionality.


Emily Benn interned with 826DC in Spring of 2015 and again in Fall of 2016. She is a recent graduate of the George Washington University where she double majored in English and Human Services. Ultimately, Emily hopes to pursue a career in secondary education. In her free time, Emily enjoys curating music for her GW radio show, cooking with friends, and dancing.