Pals across the ages
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, January 3, 2017
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Press/Neepawa Banner
This year, young and old will share the joy of sending and receiving letters, thanks to a partnership between HAND and the Neepawa Guiding Unit. Starting in January, the 22 girls in Sparks, Brownies and Girl Guides will be partnered with an area senior for a new pen pal program. Each month, the pen pals will write to each other, sharing stories about themselves, their hobbies and their lives.
Genie Barnaby, of HAND, explains that she has been hoping to start a pen pal program with area youth for a while, but it never seemed to get going. The idea of partnering with the Guides came after the girls made hand colour placemats, which were used at one of the congregate meals. “The seniors were thrilled with the placemats and appreciated [the girls’] efforts. From that partnership, I contacted [Guide leader Kay De’Ath] about the possibility of working on the pen pal program,” said Barnaby.
The program will begin this month, with the seniors writing first. The letters will be placed in a special mail box in the HAND office by Jan. 15. From there, the seniors and girls will be matched and the girls will write back in the second half of the month during their weekly meetings. Barnaby and De’Ath decided to have a specific topic each month, to help guide the writing. Topics include, where you grew up, hobbies and likes; what life was or is like growing up; pets, 4-H participation, favourites toys and games; places you have visited and your career. In June, all of the participants will get together for a picnic and a chance to visit in person.
De’Ath is excited about the program and explains that this will be the first year they have partnered with seniors, though for the last four years, the Girl Guides have been writing to another Guide group in Australia. For the Brownies, the exchange will help them achieve a specific Pen Pal badge and for the Guides, the program will help them achieve their Writing badge.
The program is expected to be a benefit to both groups. Barnaby explains that for the seniors, it’s a chance to send and receive letters, an activity many of them enjoy, as well as giving them the change to share their stories and interact with others. De’Ath added that since many of the seniors don’t have family close by, the program gives them a chance to connect with younger generations and the girls learn from the seniors.
Barnaby is still looking for seniors who’d like to participate and while they’d ideally like 22, De’Ath said that they can extended the program to include the seven Pathfinders if they get enough seniors. Anyone interested in participating can contact Barnaby through the HAND office at 204-476-2009 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
