Pupils at the British School of Valencia in Spain are spreading positivity thousands of miles via a letter exchange project, with almost 100 letters of hope being delivered to NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) in Selby.
Spearheaded by their teacher Sarah Barker, originally from Wigan but now teaching English in Valencia, 233 letters were split and sent to three organisations providing care or supporting mental health awareness: Selby NHS CAMHS service, Epic Hope in Wigan and Grupo Ita in Valencia.
Sarah Barker, said: “I started the Correspondence Club earlier this year to spread hope and positivity, both near and far, primarily through letter writing.
“It is hoped that those receiving the letters will benefit from the kind words of others.
“We want to bring a smile to the faces of those who are going through a difficult time, to show them that someone is thinking of them.
“However, it has also been beneficial for the wellbeing of the students who were able to reflect on difficult times that they had overcome in their own lives.”
Colleagues at Selby CAMHS have received the letters and plan to give them to children and young people when they are accessing the service for the first time.
Rob Berry, Selby CAMHS service manager, which is part of our Trust, said: “We would like to say thank you to the students who took the time to write the letters. They are fantastic and really powerful.”
The team plan to use the words in other ways too, with Rob adding: “We have a recovery tree in the waiting area that people add uplifting messages to, and we would love to add some of the quotes from the letters to the tree.
“We also plan to have them printed in a book which we can keep in the waiting area for people to read when they come in.”
Inés, 14, who was involved in writing and sending the letters, said: “It was really fun, trying to organize the letters and sorting through them. But more than anything, it was amazing knowing that they would help someone, maybe more than we thought.
“I hope that they know that no matter how dark it might seem, there’s always tomorrow. There’s always a chance to feel better. I also think that sometimes, after hearing so much advice and affirmations from adults, it’s nice to hear it from someone your own age.”
Another student, Sabela, 14, added: “Being a part of this was very exciting and fun. It was a great opportunity to spread hope and love in these trying and dark times while also building a stronger school community.
“I really loved seeing everyone get together to make this possible and it fills me with so much pride to see my peers actively taking part to handwrite such sweet and thoughtful messages, to further spread that positivity that we sadly don’t see every day.”
Sarah continued: “There has been such a fantastic response to the creation of the Correspondence Club, and we have some very dedicated members who are truly special people.
“This activity promoted the act of simply giving, without any intention of receiving anything in return, which seems even more prevalent now, after the devastation caused by recent flooding in Valencia.
“It was also important for us as a club, and as a school, to highlight the fact that giving does not need to involve money, and that giving your time is perhaps the most special gift of all.
“I am so proud of our students and I hope that this is the first of many collaborations with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.”
