Dear Friend,

 

Have fun with your letter writing and put your heart into it!

 

Your letter-writing style is up to you. Whether it's a class poster with drawings, a handwritten letter on stationery, lined paper or a printed document, or a creative card with drawings and surprises, what matters is that you are sending a gift and to be proud of it!

 

Introduce yourself in the first paragraph without giving your last name or home address.  For example: "I'm a 5th grade student in a New York City public school..."

 

Connect! For example, you might share about hobbies and activities that you enjoy. Or, if you think you've been in their shoes before, write about it.  Don’t be afraid to let him or her know you've had bad times, too, and how you felt and then how things got better. Show them that bullies do not make up their world!  Share inspirational quotes. You get the idea!

 

Be positive! Our goal is to help victims feel better about themselves and their life, not worse. Instead of saying, "I feel sorry for you" or "Your life is awful."  You might say, "I am sorry you have to deal with mean kids picking on you because you sound like a very interesting person" or "Your life will get better. I'm sorry you feel sad right now."

 

Please do not "blame the victim" by telling them they SHOULD HAVE done something differently! THEY SURVIVED. Especially do not tell them they should have hit their bully, or spread lies about him or her... we will pull out letters that encourage violence.

 

Stay mindful that the Be A Friend Project is not a religious-based project and the person you are writing may have different beliefs than you.

 

Do not stress out about solving anyone's problems because that is not your job. Your job is to show support through your words to a peer who really needs it!

 

Use ONLY your first name when signing your letter.

 

Do not include personal contact information. Though pen pals are a fun idea, we want to keep all our Be-A-Friend kids safe and anonymous. Your letters must come through our office first. We sort them, sift through their content and mail them as a batch under our Be A Friend address.  Send your card(s) or letter(s) addressed to:

 

Be A Friend Project

449 Lane Gate Road

Cold Spring, NY 10516

 

If you want to decorate your envelope, go ahead! We will put your letter back into its envelope before sending it in the batch from our office. If your envelope has your return address, we will cut it out.

 

You can also skip the postage and email your letter as a picture or typed in the body of the email to [email protected]. We will print it out for you and include it in our "Friend Mail" delivery!

Throw a

Be A Friend Project Party! :)

 

Gather your friends and put out crayons, pens, markers, glue, scissors, old magazines, stickers, construction paper, tape, stationary, lined paper, craft store goodies... you name it! And don't forget snacks for you and your guests!

 

Read about our current featured youth together from our website or print out the story in advance.

 

There's nothing better than laughing and writing letters with your friends (pretending text messages don’t yet exist) and making cards and letters that will give hope, strength and a smile to a friend-you-haven't-met. You are really making a difference, together!

 

Tell us about your party in advance.  We'll confirm the send-by date for the youth you are writing and send you a party surprise!