As several students circled a bucket of lard, looks of confusion and curiosity formed upon their faces.

"Is this lard, or mashed potatoes?" a student asked, while visiting the Mission District nonprofit organization, 826 Valencia.

The mission of "826" is to help students develop their writing skills whether the students are working in the realm of fiction, nonfiction, or English as a second language. Tutors are there to help them explore their love of writing.

826 offers drop-in tutoring and they also host workshops as part of a school program and for people who are just interested in writing and interested in doing projects.

Roberto Alvarenga, 17, is one of 18 high school students involved with SF State's Bay Area Mulitcultural Media Academy. It was Alvarenga's first visit to 826 and he really liked the setting.

“The environment was calm and smoothing,” said Alvarenga.

Long Lam, another BAMMA participant, said he appreciates how 826 is youth-friendly.

”Not a lot of organizations are there to help students with writing, which is one of the subjects that students struggle with,” said Lam, 17.

Many schools from around the Bay Area have visited 826 Valencia for workshops that deal with a variety of topics.

Some workshops have projects like creating zines -- informal magazines -- and publishing story collections.

MetWest High School in Oakland produced its own book, which was a collection of students' own personal stories. 826 has produced three books with MetWest within the past three years. 826 has also done other projects with students, such as publishing a newspaper and short stories.

826 also provides tutoring for students after school from 2:30–5:30 PM, Sunday through Thursday.
The students can drop in at anytime between those hours for free. There are also Scholastic Aptitude Test preparation courses available as well as scholarships awarded each spring for students across the Bay Area that plan on attending college.

Although the organization has workshops, they heavily rely on their 700 volunteers to proctor them. In order to publicize upcoming events, fliers are created for students to have information. But they have to leave a $25 deposit, which is returned after the workshop. The deposit is only used to hold their spot.

On June 25 BAMMA students participated in a workshop, which included a role-playing activity.

The activity was based on the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and the students played the role of a journalist who felt the earthquake and had to contact the police for information.

The students took turns asking questions they would have asked the police officer if it were really 1989. Students who took the workshop commented that it was wonderful and a good “hands-on” approach to newsgathering.

Charlotte Petersen, a volunteer and a tutor for almost three years has enjoyed her time at 826.

“You can learn as much from your student as they learn from you,” said Petersen, who also enjoys encouraging the students to write.

Inside 826 Valencia, the first thing you will see is a supply store,

They have several items like eye patches, old locks, compasses and feathers. They also sell more expensive products such as old prints that are worth 300 dollars. They sell clothing and even the books the students have produced in the past.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer or a tutor can go online to 826valencia.org to get an online application.