826CHI

A quick note from the 826CHI community:

Volunteer recruitment is on hold for now as we plan for our next program cycle. We’re not going anywhere — we’re just getting ready for what comes next.

If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, sit tight. We’ll be sharing updates on when applications reopen and how you can join us. The best way to stay in the loop is to follow us here and sign up for our newsletter.

Sign up for the newsletter to be informed about volunteer opportunities >> https://ow.ly/z7LL50YIp52

826CHI serves hundreds of Chicago students each year with tuition-free writing programs. That commitment requires ongoing support.

Donations help us:

- Match students with writing support
- Publish student work and celebrate their voices
- Create welcoming spaces where young people feel safe to take risks

Behind every statistic is a student who needed someone to say, "Your words matter."

If 826CHI has ever inspired you, challenged you, or reminded you why youth voice matters, we invite you to invest in that impact today.

Your gift keeps the door open.

Every week at 826CHI, a student drafts something that feels risky to share.

It might be a personal essay. It might be fiction that isn't as fictional as it sounds. Sometimes it's a piece responding to something happening outside the classroom.

What matters isn't polish. It's the decision to put words on paper and let someone else read them.

That decision builds confidence over time. It builds presence. It builds the sense that your voice belongs in a room.

That's the work we're committed to sustaining.

If you've ever witnessed that moment when a young writer reads aloud and the room shifts, you know why it matters.