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Please find a summary below of one of the sessions at this year’s PSFK Conference.

“It’s not home…it’s not school…it’s a place that kids own.”

What He Said: 826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with chapters in eight cities across the country.  They are dedicated to helping under-resourced students aged 6-18 explore their creativity and improve their writing skills. Gerald Richards, their CEO, spoke of their innovative model which sits at the intersection of design, creativity, academics and the volunteer movement.  In addition to the field trips, tutoring, and workshops that 826 offers, 826 aims to get students, teachers, and the community excited about writing.  To raise funds, inspire creativity, and advertise their program to the local community, most of their centers include a street-front retail store filled with unusual products, entertaining signage, as well as their books for sale. For example, San Francisco’s pirate supply store sells glass eyes and one-of-a-kind peg legs, 826NYC’s Superhero Supply Company offers custom-fit capes, 826michigan’s Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Shop specializes in must-have mechanical conveniences, while 826LA features a time travel store.

What We Heard: Reaching out and appealing to your local community helps to broaden the relevance of your brand as well as humanize your offering. And for audiences who may have a stigma attached to them, never underestimate the power of humor and fun to deflect negativity and turn it into positivity.

Talk by Gerald Richards, 826 National.