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.

#Shop826 Holiday Gift Guide

Searching for the perfect, quirky, meaningful gift with a story behind it? Look no further! These are our top picks from Tivoli’s Astounding Magic Supply. Bonus: you can feel great knowing that 100% of proceeds will help DC young authors write their own paths forward in 2018. 

  1. 1. Ski Hat — $15

Up your cozy-game with the latest addition to our lineup of 826-branded apparel. No guarantees that the “third eye” will help you see into the future, but we do predict you’ll get MANY compliments on this new ski hat.

  1. 2. Patron Saint of Magic Candles – $6.99

This holiday season, why not pay tribute to the masters? Our unscented wax candles come in three iconic varieties, perfect for the magic history-buff on your list.

  1. 3. Gold/Kohl Soaps – $12.99

A stocking stuffer that doubles as shade? We’re sold. Get everyone on your list exactly what they deserve (*wink*) with these organic, goat’s milk soaps from Beekman 1802.

  1. 4. “Having to Tell Your Mother Is the Hardest Part” – 826DC’s 2017 Young Authors’ Book Project – $15

Praise from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published in the NYT Magazine: “There was something so clean and pure and true about his writing, don’t you think? Increasingly I find that that’s the kind of thing I want to read.” Our latest student publication makes a perfectly local gift.

  1. 5. Psychic Reader Bandanna – $10

Add hipster flair to your next holiday party outfit with this cotton bandanna designed by local artist Travis Pietsch. We recommend pairing with a crystal ball and giving unsolicited predictions to fellow partygoers on New Years Eve.

Browse the full shop

826DC in NYT!

At the May release party for our collection of students essays, “Having to Tell Your Mother is The Hardest Part,” young authors shared their poignant stories with an audience of their peers and supporters.

There was one surprise special guest in the crowd that night: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie came to help us celebrate the work of DC students and their accomplishment of being published. Needless to say, our students were thrilled to have the author’s support and excited to meet a literary hero.

Our friend (and 826 National co-founder) Dave Eggers wrote about the experience for the New York Times Style Magazine.

“‘You have to read what I wrote!’ Monae said, and gave Adichie a copy of ‘Having to Tell Your Mother Is the Hardest Part,’ opened to a spread bearing her smiling face and her essay, titled “Queen.”

We made our way to a quiet part of the rooftop and watched the adults swarm the student-writers, getting their books signed.

‘That is lovely,’ Adichie said. ‘Just lovely.’”

Read the full article here

The 826 Stand

826 National was inspired to take a stand on issues of inclusion and diversity in light of the many events that spotlighted social and racial injustices throughout the country. We as educators, volunteers, and caring adults need to be aware of the wide range of issues our students face on a day-to-day basis. We need to support these young people as they navigate through and try to make sense of the world and their own identities.

We stand for our students.

We stand for our students’ right to express their opinions—freely, creatively, and safely—and to provide them the space to do that, free of judgment and full of support.

We stand for our students’ right to tell their stories, share their experiences, and seek out information and answers.

We stand for connecting our students to caring adults—volunteers eager to listen as students search for answers and discover themselves.

Through our work and our actions, we must continuously support the development of our students’ voices and stories, and also celebrate those voices and stories.

We stand for building diverse and inclusive environments for our students, our volunteers, and our staff.

We need the support and the feedback from our community to ensure 826 is living up to these standards. Through our inclusion statement, our internal diversity and inclusion group, cultural competency resources provided to staff and volunteers, and partnerships with other organizations, we are always working towards being a more inclusive and supportive organization.

We at 826 have the privilege of working with the next generation of scholars, teachers, doctors, artists, lawyers, and writers. It’s our job to make sure they are able to take their own stands.

As an organization committed to encouraging youth in their creative expression, personal growth, and academic success, 826 National and its chapters recognize the importance of diversity at all levels and in all aspects of our work. In order to build and maintain the safe, supportive 826 environment in which great leaps in learning happen, we commit ourselves to inclusion: we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, marital status, English fluency, parental status, military service, or disability.

The 826 Network is committed to encouraging youth to express themselves and to use the written word to effectively do so. We encourage our students to write, take chances, make decisions, and finish what they start. And 826 strives to do this in an environment free from discrimination and exclusion.