(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – The leaders of Tuscarawas County Youth Prevention Services are encouraging local youth to spread joy while home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local teens are encouraged to send Y2Y leaders their addresses in order to receive snail mail kits. Representatives will deliver the kits to the homes of students with no human contact. Each kit will include envelopes, stamps, colored paper, stickers, and other fun items students can use to write letters. They are encouraged to send letters to friends, grandparents, and even small businesses.
“Many students were feeling the negative effects of social distancing such as loneliness, boredom, and disconnectedness,” explained Youth Prevention Services Coordinator, Hannah Yoder. “We began brainstorming ways to help our teens connect while at home, and soon came up with the snail mail project.”
Project organizers are taking every precaution to reach students in the safest way while following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. The kits are assembled by a staff member using proper handwashing techniques and then delivered with no human contact. Youth are advised to wait at least 24 hours before handling their kits.
The project is open to any teen in Tuscarawas County. Participants are just asked to add a Y2Y sticker to their letters, which are included in each kit, and to post photos of their experiences tagging Tuscarawas County Youth to Youth on Facebook or @tusc_y2y on Instagram.
“Our goal is to help teens spread kindness in a fun and meaningful way,” added Yoder. “At the same time, this project will help teens feel connected and offset some of the negative effects of social distancing. I think we all could use a little extra kindness in these uncertain times.”
The first kits were delivered on March 30th and the project will continue for as long as there is a demand and resources allow.
Kits can be requested by contacting Tuscarawas County Youth to Youth via Facebook.
