In 2002, the writer Dave Eggars and the educator Ninive Calegari decided to start an after-school program to get kids energized about writing and learning. They fitted out a space in San Francisco as a Pirate Supply Store, thinking that the theme would bring youngsters in and keep them for the tutoring and publishing projects.
Eggars talks about the initiative in a TED Talks video and at a website called Once Upon a School, which challenges us all to get involved.
Because the first storefront was at 826 Valencia, the affiliated learning centers that have sprouted up around the country have become part of an umbrella organization that is called 826 National.
“826 National is a nonprofit organization that provides strategic leadership, administration, and other resources to ensure the success of its network of eight writing and tutoring centers. 826 centers offer a variety of inventive programs that provide under-resourced students, ages 6-18, with opportunities to explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. We also aim to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. Our mission is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.”
826 Valencia’s site adds, “We offer a range of programs, all free of charge, for students, classrooms, and schools in the Bay Area. Our project-based approach allows students ownership over the writing process, and strengthens their ability to express themselves clearly and in their own voice. By making writing fun, by demystifying the process, and by creating gorgeous books, magazines, and newspapers that honor their work, we can inspire young people to gain critical skills and write with confidence.”
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I missed/overlooked this post when it first went up, but came to it now because of your link to it from the cash mob post (working backward through your posts, as I’ve been less active online this past week due to work)–and I love this idea; it’s something I’ve daydreamed about myself. Did you see the Caine’s arcade video? I linked to it on Facebook and mentioned it in passing on LJ. The video itself, and the story of it, is delightful and hopeful, but what’s also interesting is how it’s led to a scholarship fund, and not just for Caine himself, but for other kids, and how the project also has resulted in music sales for the singer who made a theme song for the event, and has also boosted links to the photo site of a guy who did photos of the whole thing. Really, the generosity seeds further generosity and good spirits. Like the Pirate Supply store or the cash mob.
I like the way you think, and how you show us these things. It makes me feel invigorated and hopeful.
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I need to watch the Caine’s video. Didn’t do it yet.
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