Thanks to all the volunteers, interns, and special guests integral to the unparalleled success of 826LA's 2009 English Language Learner (ELL) Camp! Hooray! Our camp, which ran at both 826LA East and West, included students at all levels of speaking and writing proficiency. With twenty to thirty-five 12-and-under students showing up on our doorstep for every 2.5-hour session, producing chapbooks every week (e.g. a giant technical manual or a slide show of beautiful classwork), there was enough going on to engage even an emerging mind in writerly challenges. Each student left ELL Camp with not only spiffy books, but also more solid foundations in the modes of English communication that they might struggle to master in school.

As pictured here, they might find a restaurant at camp so horrid that their tutors cajole them into writing a well-structured letter of complaint. Or they might take an observational eye on a walking field trip, coming up with insights like, "We saw horse poop that looked like rocks with hair"! And most importantly, we keep with 826LA tradition by providing free needed services to our local communities, so the ending of ELL gives us a chance to thank Echo Park and Venice. You guys let us nurture creative voices in your community from the seed stage, plus stage an interview with a local beach pirate.

For more coverage of this and other summer programming, please follow our blog.