Learning does not stop at 826 Valencia during the summer! We offer a variety of unique programs for elementary, middle, and high school students that address summer learning loss and foster creativity. Here is all the great work that happened in the summer of 2024.
Exploring Words
We held our annual Exploring Words Summer Camp for rising 3rd- to 5th-grade students at our Mission Bay and Mission Centers. During each week of the project-based camp, students brainstormed, drafted, and revised a variety of writing projects with the support of tutors and each other. For our All About Me project, students wrote identity riddles and self-portrait poetry. Each week, students had the opportunity to share their work and celebrate one another.
This is so fun, it’s like my pencil is going on an adventure!
—Student, Mission Bay Center Exploring Words Summer Camp
Exploring Leadership
Based at our Mission Center, Exploring Leadership Summer Camp is an interdisciplinary program for students in grades 6–8 where students develop leadership and collaboration skills through project-based activities. Last summer, students worked on six different writing projects, including screenwriting, field journals, and fantasy stories.
Young Authors’ Workshop
The Young Authors’ Workshop is an intensive writing camp for high school students where they learn different writing techniques from teaching artists. Last summer, poet, teaching artist, and 826 Valencia parent Kevin Dublin worked with students on a poetry film project. Students also visited SFMOMA, attended a career event at the Chase Center, and recorded podcasts at our Tenderloin Center.
Tenderloin Summer Programs
Last summer, our Tenderloin Center held Podcasting Field Trips for groups of students in grades K–9. Workshop students went on neighborhood walks to explore murals in the Tenderloin neighborhood, and they wrote imaginative stories based on the artwork. Students also wrote letters to the mural artists, sharing their questions and appreciations.