A visit to 826 Valencia, San Francisco (plus a possible idea to take the Science Scouts to next level?)

Image by Baskervillain

Last week I was in San Francisco for a meeting (sorry Janet for not touching base - I literally got my passport the day before flying out). This was actually the first work-related trip I've taken in about 5 years (the last being the workshop in Lagos, Nigeria), so it was with some amusement that this particular meeting happened to involve a pirate store.

Which makes more sense when you realize that the Pirate Store (no joke) is actually a front for a non-profit organization known as 826 Valencia. This is a remarkable set up with a general mandate that reads:

826 Valencia is dedicated to supporting students aged 6 to 18 with their writing skills, and helping teachers get their students excited about the literary arts. Our work is based on the understanding that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success and that great leaps in learning can be made when skilled tutors work one-on-one with students.

However, being affiliated with McSweeney's and the minds of Dave Eggers and some of his teacher colleagues, 826 Valencia knows how to deliver this worthy cause with the right comforting mix of creativity, ambience, and eccentricity.

Specifically, I was in attendance of a workshop that highlighted the mechanics of their operation. I've been tinkering with a similar idea for the last year or so. In other words, could I use their successful model in getting kids to write and explore literary genres, but with an overall theme of science and environmental literacy as a backdrop?

Apparently, yes. The staff was great (even had a chance to chat with Dave Eggers briefly), and I'm thinking this is something worth going for. Not an officially affiliated 826 set-up, but something that uses them as an inspiration for science literacy aimed at school kids.

There's a couple reasons why this might be doable. They include:

1. I've been looking for science based outreach projects that can specifically appeal to the elementary school age level. I currently run a lab based fieldtrip program for high schoolers, but designing good practical activities (i.e. wet lab work that takes advantage of my high tech facilities) is harder to do for the elementary set. Having a focus on creative and expository science writing could be a good way to still do awesome stuff with these younger kids. Plus, it's not to say that lab stuff can't still happen - the wet lab is still available if such a need is courted. Instead of being adjacent to a pirate store - this set up would be adjacent to a genetics lab.

2. I've been looking for science based outreach projects that can specifically be staffed by undergraduate volunteers. A lot of the field trip options I currently have are run by graduate students. Their expertise level, I feel is required, when guiding 25 or so students through a laboratory exercise. With writing as focus in this new idea, that type of skill set which tends to found only at the Graduate level is not as important. I think it could create a great way for younger university students to have a role in science communication.

3. I have space. Not only my own lab, but I also have good access to an adjacent room which would work well for scenarios where writing is the focus. Maybe some well placed lights could make it more warm looking, or perhaps the look can specifically try to emulate something futuristic.

4. This might be a perfect thing for the "Science Scout" phenom to be a part of. i.e. the activities designed would have the potential of earning real "science scout"-ish badges. As well, with the Science Creative Quarterly functioning as a web publication proper (with about 60,000 hits per day), we also have a potential outlet for student work, news, etc.

5. I've got good ties generally with folks from various backgrounds, (via the Terry project and the Science Scouts for instance), but in particular, I have some colleagues in academia who are part of Departments like Creative Writing or English. How cool would that be? A literacy program for young kids that is essentially driven by the collaboration between MFA types, and Faculty of Science Graduate Student types. That, I'm sure, would make a compelling mix. Unconventional to say the least, but unconvention is something my lab feeds off.

6. I should be in a position to have resources for some of the hardware required to get this off the ground. 826 Valencia has some very cool storytelling fieldtrips that rely on some computer infrastructure as well as some basic book binding equipment. Might be cool to use the template for this particular fieldtrip (where all students walk away with a "book" of their production that needs to be finished) as an initial activity to build from.

Anyway... all in all, it sounds like something worth striving for. Would appreciate any feedback from readers.