Conversations with Jaime Balboa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jaime Balboa.

Hi Jaime, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Writer Dave Eggers and educator Nínive Calegari founded 826 Valencia in San Francisco in 2002; it was the first of nine independently incorporated chapters in the 826 Network. The premise was simple: Recruit artists and others in the community to help local students with their homework and writing skills. The result was a fun, imaginative space that felt different from school. Additionally, 826’s field trips and in-schools programs alleviated some of the pressure on teachers who were faced with large class sizes and few resources.

We brought this model to Los Angeles in 2005 and now have five locations: writing labs in Echo Park and Mar Vista and Writers’ Rooms on the campuses of Manual Arts, Roosevelt, and Venice High Schools. Our programs primarily serve BIPOC students who attend Title I schools (i.e., schools where most students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch). We offer after-school tutoring, field trips, in-school support, and community workshops with partner organizations such as the Hammer Museum.

Several factors make 826LA unique:

1) Students get to work one-on-one and in small groups with trained volunteers who meet them where they’re at and encourage their writing.

2) Students become published authors at 826LA! They get to see their bylines in full-length books, newspapers, zines, and digital publications.

3) We operate two Time Travel Marts. Yes, Time Travel Marts! The Echo Park and Mar Vista marts are convenience stores for time travelers, selling sundries from the past, present, and future. If you need Mammoth Chunks or Robot Arms, we’ve got ’em. We also sell student publications, and the storefronts double as recruitment tools for volunteers. All proceeds benefit 826LA’s free writing and tutoring programs.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Like so many people, organizations, and businesses, the pandemic posed huge challenges. Schools closed, the families we support—who were already marginalized—faced serious economic and health challenges, and students struggled academically and psychologically. Those effects are far from over, and we see it in test scores and absentee rates throughout LAUSD. 826LA struggled with funding and a high turnover rate during that time, although we were fortunate to have some steadfast supporters and staff members to see us through it.

However, opportunities often present themselves alongside challenges. We revisited our values and our goals and asked how we can meet students where they’re at. We believe Black Lives Matter; even though we serve primarily BIPOC students already, we realized we could do more to support Black students specifically. We know that writing can be therapeutic for processing life experiences, but we wanted to do more to address the national youth mental health crisis. The result was three new priorities for this year: 1) doubling the number of students served, 2) supporting more Black and African-American students, and 3) building mindfulness practices into all of our programs and partnering with BetterHelp to provide free therapy to students and families.

We are already working toward these goals, but to fully embody our mission, we will need more volunteers from all walks of life and of course, additional funding to keep our centers in top shape and our programs fully staffed.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I have devoted my professional life to the nonprofit and educational spheres, helping unhoused and runaway youth, LGBTQ+ individuals, and college students. Equity is the through-line in this work: I believe that people’s fates shouldn’t be adversely impacted by their identities and material circumstances. I’m proud of being a thoughtful leader who listens to my staff and to the communities we support.

Writing has been a constant throughout my career and creative life. Whether I’m writing grant proposals, a short story, or business plans, I understand first-hand the importance of writing clearly and compellingly. Writing is a wonderful creative outlet personally and a productive tool professionally. I’m excited about how 826LA brings together so many of my passions.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
At 826LA, we don’t call ourselves a mentoring organization; while some of the relationships formed between students and volunteers last for years, others last for just one field trip or one personal statement-writing session. Yet even these short partnerships can be powerful. A teacher recently told us about how an 826LA volunteer who worked as a speech pathologist helped a student draft her college essay. The student learned about the volunteer job and decided she wanted to become a speech pathologist too! The volunteer helped her with every stage of her essay and pointed her toward resources that could help her pursue her new career ambition.

So my advice is to seek and create opportunities for serendipity and to define mentorship broadly. We do this in 826LA’s programs, and I try to do the same in my personal and professional life. To approach each meeting with curiosity, to ask for questions and for support.

Contact Info:

• Website: 826la.org
• Instagram: @826la
• Facebook: facebook.com/826la
• Twitter: @826la

Image Credits
826LA