Cook County College Teachers Union

HistoryWritopia Lab started in the New York City living room of our director, Rebecca Wallace-Segall, with a small group of writers who came together to share their passion for writing. Since then, Writopia Lab has become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, a national community of young writers, and has grown beyond that living room and NYC. We now serve all demographics in the following regions: New York Metro North, New Jersey, DC, LA, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In each of the past seven years, more kids from Writopia Lab have been recognized on both the regional and national levels by the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards than from any other school in the nation.SpecialtiesIntimate Workshops. Published instructors. Age-based groups. Rolling enrollment. Writopia Lab celebrates all genres of creative writing including fiction, memoir, essays, plays, poetry, graphic novel, and musical theater. Workshops are small, student-centered, and author-led. We also offer private sessions (in person and online) where students work one-on-one with published authors, poets, or produced playwrights. We work with many different levels of writers. We meet students where they are at and challenge them individually based on their specific needs. Reluctant writers come to Writopia and leave feeling empowered and more confident in their writing, while prolific writers leave with an enhancement in their current skills.

HistoryThe tutoring program was created in 1992 to support students from the Montgomery Ward Cabrini-Green Tutoring Program. The founders were volunteers with that program that saw the need to continue to help those students after the sixth grade. Chicago Tutoring Connection, formerly Cabrini Connections, started offering one-on-one tutoring to 7-12 grade students in donated space in the Montgomery Ward headquarters building. Since 1992, more than 625 students have attended the program for at least one year along with over 800 volunteer tutor/mentors. Over 90% of 12th grade program graduates have entered college.SpecialtiesChicago Tutoring Connection helps economically disadvantaged students succeed in high school & move on to college or a career. We do this by pairing the students with an adult tutor who supports their academic achievement and provides guidance in life skills.