PEN PALS

Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly

via postal mail. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is
based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of letters.
Occasionally pen pals may already have a relationship that is not
regularly conducted in person.
A pen pal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in
a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other
countries and life-styles, and to make friendships. While the expansion
of the Internet has reduced the number of traditional pen pals, pen pal
clubs can nowadays be found on the Internet, in magazine columns,
newspapers, and sometimes through clubs or special interest groups.
While the traditional snail mail pen pal relationship has fallen into a
decline due to modern technology closing the world's communication
gap, prison pen pal services have combined technology with traditional
letter writing. These sites allow prisoners to place pen pal ads online;
however, inmates in the United States and most of the world are not
permitted to access the Internet. Therefore, the pen pal relationships
with inmates are still conducted via postal mail. Other pen pal
organizations have survived by embracing the technology of the Internet.
Benefits of Having a Pen Pal at tween years

1) Perhaps most obviously, writing and receiving handwritten

pen pal letters practices both reading and writing skills.
2) As adolescence approaches, tweens become increasingly
egocentric. Hearing first-hand stories from an international
pen pal can encourage tweens to take someone else's
perspective and to think outside of themselves. 
3) Finally, social skills are being actively developed during the
tween years. Having a pen pal promotes many key skills,
including reciprocation, empathy and mutual concern. It
also fosters the ability to search for and find common
bonds, a key element of true friendship.

Pandemic or not, studies show that the act of letter writing has
tremendous benefits for both the writer and the recipient. Although
extended letter writing is less common today, given the ease of text
messaging and email for instant communication … letter writing can be
seen as significant and consequential in people's lives, serving to
maintain familial ties, communicate news and personal information, or
resolve disputes. The simple act of writing itself has many positive
benefits, improves memory function, decreased symptomatology, and
greater feelings of happiness."

Why write a letter when you could just send a quick and easy text or DM?
Because you’re probably tired of looking at a screen and your brain needs a
break from doomscrolling. Plus, your patience between letters will be
rewarded. Think of how happy you get when your Amazon package gets
delivered, even if it’s just floss and laundry detergent. A letter is even
better!
Because of the pandemic, we’re all collectively grieving the usual ways we
engage in human connection: dinner dates with friends, happy hours with
co-workers, family birthday parties. Having a pen pal is an opportunity to
get personal again
It really makes you feel connected to the person in a way that talking on the
phone, texting, Face Timing, or even seeing them in person can’t achieve
It’s a lot easier to be vulnerable when you’re writing a letter. It’s one of the
most non-judgmental spaces to be in, because you don’t see the other
person’s immediate reactions.

The process of writing our emotional experiences has many benefits; it can
be cathartic, build awareness, and give us insight into how to take care of
ourselves
As the therapist sees it, creating space in our lives for journaling or pen-
palling is akin to making time for a yoga or meditation practice.
The process becomes intentional and it invites us to tune in to our
experience and express it to another while developing the ability to tolerate
our own vulnerability

When we write, we allow our ideas to flow easily and freely, opening up the
possibility to be vulnerable with ourselves and others.