2022 Highlights

We are reflecting back on the past year and all the new and exciting changes at 826 MSP. Check out these highlights!

New Mission Statement: As part of our strategic plan and based on community feedback, 826 MSP was called to clarify who we are and what we do. This past June, our board approved updated mission, vision, and values statements which more accurately reflect the work of 826 MSP in recent years.

New Staff: 826 MSP’s team has grown! In case you missed it, check out these interviews with our two newest staff, Dr. Jamal Adam (Executive Director) and Annie Chen (Writers' Room Manager). Our whole team is pictured below (photo taken by Yasmin Yassin).

2021-22 Impact: Our 21-22 numbers are in! Though we love words, check out our impact—by the numbers—in the prior school year.

Publication Spotlight: We released a new youth anthology! Rehumanize Me. This book was led by an editorial board of 7 Black youth from across Minneapolis on themes of identity, healing, and Black liberation, especially amidst the pandemic and racial justice reckonings. 

Program Expansion: 826 MSP is growing! In addition to our 5 regular in and out-of-school programs, we’ve also added some new offerings for our community.   

Whole Family Engagement - 826 MSP has new offerings for parents, caregivers, and preschool age children. We lead workshops on relevant topics such as differences between the U.S. and East African education systems, advocating for students, assessment standards and more. Programming for younger students includes targeted early literacy skills-building and story hours with representative children’s book authors.  (Author Sarah Warren is pictured below.)

Poetry Navigators - In 22-23, we are piloting a new field trip model: Poetry Navigators for 1st and 2nd graders focused on socioemotional learning through the medium of poetry. This field trip gives students the chance to work with mentor texts from BIPOC writers, write their own pieces, and leave as published poets.

To close out 2022 as strongly as possible, the Hawkins Project has offered to match all donations 826 MSP receives—up to $10,000! Donate today to double your gift.