July Newsletter
Dear Friends,
One year ago, I stepped into the role of Executive Director for 826 MSP with a heart full of hope and a mind brimming with ideas. Today, I look back at our collective journey, and I am profoundly inspired by the progress we have made. Our year has been marked by resilience, growth, and promise. Despite the ongoing challenges brought by the pandemic, our community has rallied together, supporting one another, our programs, and—most importantly—our students.
This year, 826 MSP staff and volunteers were proud to serve more than 1,300 students across all our programs. Each tutoring session, author visit, and field trip has been a step toward fulfilling our mission to empower students with the confidence and skills to write their own paths forward. Thanks to your support, we published two chapbooks written by students in our After-School Writing Lab (ASWL), held 22 creative writing Field Trips, and enjoyed many moments of community-building and leadership development with our Young Authors Council (YAC) and Young Authors Book Project (YABP) programs.
Perhaps our most shining achievement is the publication of our latest Young Authors' Book Project, More Than One Voice, released in June 2023. This collection embodies the diverse, powerful voices of our students, who have masterfully painted their worlds with words, reminding us of the power and importance of young voices. Their stories, poems, and essays are a testament to their strength, creativity, and resilience in a time of unprecedented change and challenge.
To better serve our students, 826 MSP staff received training this fall on trauma-informed approaches to teaching writing, led by Dr. Richard Koch. This method, prioritizing psychological safety and resilience, has helped our young writers navigate their experiences, fostering emotional healing through the power of the written word.
As we look toward the future, our commitment to our students is stronger than ever. Yet, we know our work is far from finished. We envision a community where every child can confidently wield the power of their voice and pen to shape their future. We want every student who walks through our doors to know they are seen, heard, and have a story worth telling.
Our vision cannot become a reality without your support. Your generosity directly supports our programming, enabling us to reach more students, provide more resources, and make a lasting impact on the lives of young people in our community. Click here to learn more about what your gift can do for our students.
Together, we have made this year a story of triumph against the odds. I am excited about the chapters we will write in the year ahead and beyond. Thank you for being part of our journey, our story, and our 826 MSP family.
In gratitude,
Jamal Adam, PhD
Executive Director, 826 MSP
Triumph Amidst Turbulence
How sixth-graders overcame obstacles to create More Than One Voice
Whether you are currently a sixth grader, or you’ve still got some middle school memories swirling through your mind, you know that sixth grade is an especially momentous time. Bodies are growing, friendships are changing, and the taste of independence is starting to become particularly sweet. Not to mention there’s still everything going on at home, more classwork than ever, and suddenly you have to get from your locker to class all within four minutes?!
In the midst of all that, the sixth graders of Sandburg Middle School met the challenge of putting together a whole book with what can only be pure magic. For our Young Authors’ Book Project this year, we worked with five sixth-grade English/Langauge Arts classes taught by 826 MSP’s board member Shelby DeWeese. Every class period spent writing with them brought unprecedented joy, boundless creativity, and a whole lot of goofiness.
The young authors also made it through a lot of challenges. The second-snowiest winter on record clogged up our schedule with online learning days (the evil twin of the old-fashioned snow day). And that nasty demon known as Supply Chain Issues delayed the physical book’s publication. But on June 6, all these young authors came together to celebrate their hard work and read their pieces out loud to an enthusiastic audience of teachers and families.
Perhaps the most awe-inspiring thing these eleven- and twelve-year-olds did for four months was to share. Share their ideas, their favorite TV shows, their candy, their hairstyling tips… and ultimately share themselves fully to make this book and all their stories possible. These brilliant young authors have trusted us with their words, and we honor them for making this book beautiful, bountiful, and undoubtedly theirs.
If you’d like your own copy of More Than One Voice, you can order it through our online store here:
Student Spotlight
Upcoming Events
Save the date! August 26 is 826 Day. Join us to celebrate our organization's favorite holiday with free food and writing activities. More information to come.
Join us at the following events this summer:
Visit us at Open Streets East Lake on August 13.
The Midtown Farmers Market Story Stroll is on August 27.
Supporter Spotlight: Seward Co-op
We are grateful to Seward Coop selecting 826 MSP as a Seward Co-op 2023 SEED recipient this month. This simple yet generous act will support our work through their powerful community giving program. Please round up your purchases when shopping at Seward Co-op and support the work of 826 MSP!