Create Magic for the Students at Venice High School with Critical Role & 826LA!

Written by on April 15, 2021

Ever since the early days of our very first livestreams, Critical Role and 826LA have gone together like peanut butter and jelly and we deeply appreciate the work that they have done over the years to spark creativity in young minds in under-resourced communities across the Los Angeles area.

Today, we’re excited to announce our next big collaboration: Building out an entire Writers’ Room for Venice High School students here in Los Angeles! These are unique and critically important spaces that allow students, teachers, and volunteers to learn, write, share, and grow — all in an effort to sharpen new and old skills before high school graduation.

Our fundraising goal is $150,000, which will allow 826LA to complete any needed designs, staff training, and materials to launch a fully furnished Writers’ Room and you can join or share our campaign right HERE.

This is a wonderful opportunity for us to join forces for good once again and create a meaningful and long-lasting impact in the lives of many young people for many years to come. Read on to learn more.

WHAT IS THE 826LA WRITERS’ ROOM PROGRAM?

Photo courtesy of 826LA

826LA Writers’ Rooms are on-campus spaces dedicated to celebrating and honing students’ writing and literacy skills. Brightly decorated, with comfortable seating and framed student work on the walls, they’re classroom-sized versions of 826LA’s signature writing centers. Students get help with personal statements for college, work on writing assignments, or just hang out in a place where they know their voices are valued. 826LA staff collaborates with teachers to develop engaging projects, while trained volunteers work with students one-on-one, reducing student-to-teacher ratios.

826LA’s very first Writers’ Room opened at Manual Arts High School in 2013, turning an unused classroom into a vibrant creative space for students to receive academic and writing support to help with college access. Since then, over 6,000 students have passed through the 826LA Writers’ Room at Manuel High School.

Due to its massive success, Roosevelt High School, located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles, asked 826LA to open a Writers’ Room on their campus, which officially opened in early 2019.

And by Spring 2022, with your help, 826LA will open another Writers’ Room at Venice High School.

This major expansion will allow 826LA to support even more students and cultivate a culture of writing and creativity on the campus of a Title I school, where 62% of students are Latinx, 14% are Black, and 64% are low-income.

WHERE YOUR DONATION GOES

Your donation will help directly fund 826LA’s efforts to:

  • Design, staff, and launch a Writers’ Room at Venice High School in Los Angeles, which currently has over 2,000 enrolled students
  • Collaborate with teachers and counselors to strategically support college-bound students with their personal statements for college admissions
  • Partner with teachers on a variety of standards-based writing projects throughout the year, tailored to each teacher’s curriculum and needs

And, as a result:

  • Every four-year-college-bound student will receive at least 50 minutes of one-on-one tutoring with a trained volunteer
  • Students will be invited to The Great Los Angeles Personal Statement Weekend event, where they can receive an additional four intensive hours of one-on-one support
  • The school’s college center, plus all 11th and 12th grade teachers, will receive curriculum and materials that have been created and tested by 826LA to help students develop their personal statements
  • Venice High School students will become published authors in one or more beautifully designed print and/or digital publications

And, of course, 10% of every donation made will be allocated to our emergency fund. Recently, we’ve made donations to support Asian communities in the Bay Area and to support both local and national restaurant workers which have been devastated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Together, we can create magic for the students at Venice High School. To share and donate, please click here.



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