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

Agent confirmed: Eunji Kim will be your host for Trivia for Cheaters on April 29!

Eunji is a Chicago-based comedian, writer, actor, and Second City alum who’s opened for Fortune Feimster and Dave Attell, appeared on Hulu, NBC, and Showtime, and has a long track record of making Chicago audiences lose it. She brings sharp, warm, genuinely funny energy to everything she does, and we couldn’t think of a better person to run this particular operation.

Follow her and get ready for a night you won’t forget.

Register your team and support tuition-free writing programs for Chicago Students>> bit.ly/trivia-cheaters-2026

At 826CHI, students tell the truth about the one they're living in.

The writing that happens in our programs is nonfiction: personal essays, reflections, reported stories, and narratives rooted in lived experience. Students write about their families, their neighborhoods, moments of change, and the questions they're still figuring out.

These stories matter. They build critical thinking, self-awareness, and confidence. They also remind us that young people are experts in their own lives.

When we make space for students to tell their real stories, we're saying something simple and powerful: your experiences are worth documenting, and your voice belongs in the public record.

What's a story from your own life that changed the way you see the world?

As we prepare for spring programs and gear up for Trivia for Cheaters 2026, we're welcoming new volunteers into the 826CHI community.

You don't need to be a teacher or writer, just someone who believes in young people and is ready to show up with care and consistency.

Volunteering with 826CHI means supporting confidence, creativity, and growth? one student at a time.

Know someone who would be a great fit? Tag them or send them our way.

We're less than two months out from Trivia for Cheaters!

April 29 at The Den Theatre will bring together educators, volunteers, donors, and friends of 826CHI for a night that blends strategy, collaboration, and a healthy sense of humor.

The energy in the room matters. So does what it supports.

Funds raised help ensure our writing programs remain tuition-free for students across Chicago.

If you'
ve been meaning to form a team or explore sponsorship, this is your nudge.

Learn more and register at bit.ly/trivia-cheaters-2026

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.

A lot of our work happens quietly.

Teaching artists preparing lesson plans late at night. Staff coordinating publications so students can hold their finished books in their hands. Volunteers reading drafts carefully and offering feedback that respects the writer's intent.

None of that shows up in a single headline, but it's what makes the public moments possible.

Trivia for Cheaters on April 29 helps fund that infrastructure. When teams and sponsors step forward, they're supporting more than one evening. They're helping keep classrooms running across the city.

If you're considering joining us at The Den Theatre, now's the time to start the conversation.

http://bit.ly/trivia-cheaters-2026

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.