{"id":31870,"date":"2021-02-18T14:07:49","date_gmt":"2021-02-18T14:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shefnews.co.uk\/?p=31870"},"modified":"2021-02-18T14:07:49","modified_gmt":"2021-02-18T14:07:49","slug":"a-pen-pal-project-is-helping-sheffield-children-get-through-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2021\/02\/18\/a-pen-pal-project-is-helping-sheffield-children-get-through-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pen Pal Project helping Sheffield children get through lockdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHILDREN IN Sheffield have been given the opportunity to make pen pal friends during lockdown to improve their mental health.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The scheme, which 60 children have already signed up for, has been set up by Always an Alternative; an organisation that focuses on reducing serious violence amongst young people.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Anthony Olaseinde 33, the founder of Always An Alternative, created the project to give children in the community something to do, away from school classes which are all online at the moment.<\/p>\n

Mr Olaseinde said: \u201cLockdown is effecting young people a lot. I\u2019ve seen a lot of parents struggling and I see my children having to go on the computer from 9 am to 3 pm constantly. So I thought, okay, Pen Pal Project, they\u2019ll be able to make new friends and they\u2019ll be able to meet new people. They\u2019ll also be able to practice their handwriting, their punctuation and their grammar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Anthony Olaseinde, founder of Always An Alternative<\/p><\/div>\n

According to a survey conducted by Young Min<\/a>ds<\/a> after the first lockdown reflected a decline in mental health amongst young people. 80% of respondents agreed that the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health worse.<\/p>\n

Lesley Pollard, managing director of Chilypep, a youth empowerment charity based in Sheffield, explained how the Pen Pal Project could benefit young people and their mental health.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI think it’s a brilliant idea. There can\u2019t be a downside to it, the idea of it is fantastic for young people to connect not only locally but nationally and even internationally. It opens the world up for them and builds connections. One of the big issues for young people is that they\u2019ve felt incredibly disconnected and isolated through the lockdown\u2026 I\u2019m sure it will be nothing but good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project has been made possible through the sales of Mr Olaseinde\u2019s book ‘One Knife Many Lives’.<\/a><\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI think pen pals now they\u2019ve phased out, it’s email now. They\u2019re in front of a computer, and this is giving them something new to do. It\u2019s a new experience and they\u2019re engaging in a different way.<\/p>\n

It might lead them to find a love for writing\u2026 It\u2019s just about opening doors and giving people the opportunity to try new things in safe environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHILDREN IN Sheffield have been given the opportunity to make pen pal friends during lockdown to improve their mental health. The scheme, which 60 children have already signed up for, has been set up by Always an Alternative; an organisation that focuses on reducing serious violence amongst young people. Anthony Olaseinde 33, the founder of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":31957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,11,21],"tags":[134,135,136,137],"class_list":["post-31870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-charity","category-education","category-news","tag-always-an-alternative","tag-childrens-mental-health","tag-mental-heath","tag-pen-pals"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Pen Pal Project helping Sheffield children get through lockdown - ShefNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new initiative set up by the charity Always An Alternative allows children\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/shefnews.co.uk\/index.php\/2021\/02\/18\/a-pen-pal-project-is-helping-sheffield-children-get-through-lockdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Pen Pal Project helping Sheffield children get through lockdown - 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