Words by Abi Scaife
Children can now sign up for a positive pen pal scheme to help combat bullying.
Ooh, how does it work?
The anti-bullying scheme, called The Positive Post-Box Campaign, was created by the Nationwide Building Society with The Diana Award.
And the idea is to empower children to channel positivity either by writing a letter or drawing a picture which will then be posted through the Positive Post Box and sent to another child somewhere in the UK at a partner school.
Children who participate will be encouraged to practice kindness and positivity, as well as mutual respect. It is hoped that the scheme will encourage gestures of goodwill between children, and discourage bullying.
But how do we know it’s safe? Couldn’t anyone be writing the letters?
The scheme is completely safe; applications to the Positive Post-Box Campaign will be filled out by school, meaning that it is totally self-contained. Each child will be linked up with another kid in a school who has also signed up to the Positive Post-Box Campaign, allowing them to send drawings and hand-written letters to someone just like them.
That sounds great! How do we sign up?
Currently sign-ups are closed, but there are plenty of resources that you can find on the Anti-Bullying Pro website that could help you set up something similar in your own schools. Happy writing!
This article aligns with the UN SDG Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
