High School Programs
Hi, High Schooler! (If you’re not a high schooler, you’re free to stick around . But this is the part of the website where we let the high schoolers know about special stuff that only they can be a part of.)
826CHI offers a range of entirely free programming for high school students. Whether your aim is to write rhymes like Lil Wayne or to be the next Suzanne Collins or Sandra Cisneros, to polish off those college application essays or to pass that quiz coming up next Wednesday, we’ve got a program for you. Click on the links below to find out more!
Youth Advisory Board
826CHI’s Youth Advisory Board (or “YAB”, if you’re into acronyms, “BAY” if you’re into reading acronyms backward) connects high school students to fellow writers, be they peers or older professionals in the field. YAB members meet twice a month to talk about writing, give their advice on student programming, work on service projects, and eat a ridiculous amount of pizza. If you’re into any of the above, this club is for you. Check out the info and come join us at YAB!
Publishing
We believe you have important things to say. Entertaining, sweet, harsh, thought-provoking, and unique -- your words are powerful. And we’d like to read more of them. 826CHI is here to support you as you develop your writing skills at all levels. Not only that, we are committed to sharing your work with a larger audience.
There are sackloads of ways to get your work in print. Student writing is published year-round in pocket-sized chapbooks as part of the Tutoring and Workshops programs. We also invite teen writers, ranters, and creative visionaries from around the city to submit work and take part in our high school zine. Have you written something outstanding that you’d like to share with the world at-large? Submit your work to our library worthy anthology, The 826CHI Compendium.
High School Tutoring (aka WHAM - Writing & Humanities Academic Mentoring)
Could you use some extra help with your homework? High School tutoring (aka WHAM - Writing & Humanities Academic Mentoring) at 826CHI happens every Wednesday evening from 6:00-8:00pm and Sunday afternoon from 4:00-6:00pm throughout the school year. Work one-on-one with a tutor on all of your writing or humanities-related homework and school projects for FREE. To join us for high school tutoring, call 773-772-8108 or email highschool@826chi.org by 5pm the day before the tutoring session, and let us know type of homework you need help with (such as writing, history, reading, college essays, scholarship essays, etc.) so we can find you just the right friendly and suspiciously cool tutor. You can also RSVP by visiting the WHAM! RSVP page.
Did we mention that tutoring is free? Well, it is. And it's awesome. We can't wait to meet you!
Workshops
826CHI offers a variety of workshops designed specifically for high school students. Past topics have included things like photography and writing, hip-hop, radio plays, memoirs, ACT prep, and college application essays. New topics are featured every two to three months. All of our workshops are led by talented volunteers — including published authors, editors, educators, playwrights, actors, journalists, and artists — and feature small class sizes to ensure you get quality instruction on your project. Click here for a list of our current high school workshop offerings. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Email your topic or genre suggestion to workshops@826chi.org.
