Their stories could be lost. Or never written at all. The organization approached the team with a critical challenge: recruiting volunteers to sustain their youth writing program. Without volunteer support, the narratives created by young authors at 826 Valencia risked disappearing entirely.
The team recognized that inspiring community participation required genuine creative authenticity. Collaborator Nina Golik and Kyle Watson developed every visual and conceptual element in alignment with principles that define compelling storytelling.
After discovering remarkable written work from 826 Valencia students, the team expanded the initiative beyond internal circles. The campaign involved three phases: students authored pieces about meaningful San Francisco locations; fragmented story passages were bottled and hidden at iconic city landmarks; finally, social media and local news channels distributed clues prompting public discovery.
