Peaceful Pen Pals Project

Bringing Youth Together Through Letters & Art

Now more than ever, our youth need connection, kindness, and a sense of belonging. The Peaceful Pen Project brings kids together through the old-fashioned art of handwritten letters, helping them form friendships, explore new cultures, and foster compassion.

Since our launch in 2020, we’ve connected thousands of young people worldwide, creating friendships that transcend borders.

We’d love for your child to be part of this meaningful journey!

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About the Peaceful Pen Project

Our Mission

We are building a global community of kind, compassionate and empowered young people, who are uplifting the world through love and action. The Peaceful Pen Pal Project plays a vital role in fostering empathy, acceptance, and the pure joy of human connection.

Peaceful Pen Pal Project History

The Peaceful Pen Project was founded in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when children were isolated from their peers, we wanted to offer them a way to connect, communicate, and build friendships through old-fashioned letter-writing.

Since then, we have matched thousands of kids across the globe, fostering friendships that may have never been possible otherwise.

Would you like to be part of this global interconnected network of kind and caring young people?

Sign up now and start your child’s pen pal journey today!

How It Works

Joining the Peaceful Pen Project is easy! Here’s how the process works:

1. Register
 Parents or guardians sign up their child using our simple online form.

2. Wait for Match
 It typically takes 2 weeks for pen pal matches to be made, but can take less (or more) time depending on timing with our other programs. Our team carefully (and manually) pairs each child with a pen pal based on:

  • Age (same, +/- one year)
  • Gender (same, unless requested otherwise)
  • Location (different, U.S. or international options available)

3. Receive Pen Pal Match Information
Once a match is found, you’ll receive an email with your child’s new pen pal’s first name and mailing address, along with instructions for writing the first letter.

4. Start the Exchange
Your child will either be the first to write a letter or the first to receive a letter. In their first letter, we encourage them to introduce themselves and ask questions to get to know their pen pal (and/or answer questions so their pen pal can get to know them!). We encourage them to use the provided letter template to get started. Letters may include:

  • Personal stories
  • Drawings
  • Pictures
  • Encouraging words
  • PeaceTogether Art (please see below)

5. Build a Lasting Friendship
 Over time, kids exchange letters, share experiences, and form genuine friendships!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

  • Guardians register youth using our simple online form
  • Our Peaceful Pen Pal team makes matches based on age (+/- one year), gender (same unless requested otherwise) and location (see “CAN MY CHILD HAVE A PEN PAL FROM A SPECIFIC COUNTRY?)
  • Once a proper match is made, someone from our Peaceful Pen Pal team will send an email to the Guardian Email Address provided in the online form.
  • The email to the youth’s Guardian will include the first name and mailing address of the pen pal their youth has been paired with and give instructions for who is to send the first letter (Please note: email addresses are not shared between guardians unless requested by both families once a relationship has been established between the youth)

  • YES! We welcome youth from anywhere and everywhere to be part of this heartfelt letter exchange.
  • We do ask that if the child is not able to write in English that they receive help from someone who can translate for them.

  • Kids for Peace does not have the resources to provide this program in multiple languages. Because all information about this program is provided in English, we assume the letters exchanged will be written in English (it is possible for youth who do not understand English to participate with the help of a translator).
  • We welcome youth who are able to speak multiple languages to share/teach other languages in their letter exchanges.

  • We are happy to offer this pen pal program to the public for free and thanks to the help of our internship program, we have help to manage it. We are unable to guarantee a time frame, but our goal is to match youth within 2 weeks of their registration date.
  • The time it takes to find a match for your child will vary based on the age/gender/location of children requesting a pen pal at the time of your request.
  • Please check your SPAM folder prior to contacting Kids for Peace
  • If more than 2 weeks have passed and you do not have an email from us in our SPAM folder, you may reach out to meg@kidsforpeaceglobal.org to follow up

  • There are so many reasons why a pen pal may not respond. Please consider them all and share these considerations with your child so that they do not assume it is anything personal:
    • The other guardian never received the original match email (e.g. went to spam folder)
    • The postal service was delayed or accidentally misplaced the letter
    • The other pen pal has sent a letter, but their letter has been delayed or lost
    • There was a typo on the envelope and it is being re-routed
    • There was not enough postage
    • Something unfortunate has happened within the family that is preventing them from being able to focus on letter writing right now

  • You may email meg@kidsforpeaceglobal.org to ask for us to reach out to your pen pal’s guardian and request an update. We get many emails asking about the status of pen pal letters and we do our very best to respond to inquiries in a timely manner – we appreciate your patience with this.
  • Once you feel comfortable with the relationship your child has formed with their pen pal, we encourage you to exchange contact information through the letters so that you can communicate directly without having to wait for a response from Kids for Peace.

  • We do not recommend this. If both pen pals end up sending letters at the same time, then the questions asked in those letters will not get answered. It is best to allow one pen pal to write first and ask questions of their new friend, then allow the other child to receive that letter, answer the questions and ask their own questions in their response.
  • We are happy to reach out to the other guardian to see if it would help for your child to send the first letter if you would like.

  • You may email meg@kidsforpeaceglobal.org to ask for us to reach out to the guardian of your child’s pen pal and see if they received the email.
  • Please note, this would be a good time to confirm that we received correct mailing address information from both guardians as there is always a possibility that a typo in the registration is causing a delay in the mail service.
  • We can also place your child back on the list to be matched with a 2nd pen pal if your child is open and willing to exchange letters with more than one pen pal if they end up hearing back from their first pen pal.

  • When you sign up for a Peaceful Pen Pal, you will see on the online form that you have 3 choices for the preferred location of your child’s pen pal:
    • My child would prefer a pen pal from the US: If you choose this option, your child will receive a pen pal from inside the United States. Guardians of US youth who choose this option will receive a pen pal for their child from a different US state than the one they are from.
    • My child would prefer a pen pal from outside the US: If you choose this option, we prioritize the request for a pen pal from outside the US if one is available. However, because the number of requests that come from inside the US is far greater than the number of requests that come from outside the US, we need to match your child with whomever is available at the time of your registration.
    • My child does not have a preference where the pen pal is from: If you choose this option, we will match your child with a child from either inside the US or outside the US, depending on the pen pal options available at the time of your registration. (Again, guardians of U.S. youth who choose this option and end up matched with another U.S. youth will receive a pen pal from a different US state).

  • Kids for Peace does not have the resources to vet every registration, but we do process every registration manually. This is not an automated pen pal program. It is run by humans, not robots and we only ask for information necessary to make the pen pal matches.
  • We recommend that guardians read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy prior to participating.
  • Once connected to a pen pal, we recommend guardians monitor the content that their child sends to and receives from their pen pal.

  • Yes – your child may draw a self-portrait or include pictures of themselves and/or their family (with guardian permission).

  • Yes – small, inexpensive / handmade gifts are welcome, but not necessary
  • No unsolicited political, religious or sales material may be sent

  • Yes! We only match one pen pal at a time, but once your child has been matched, you are welcome to register them for a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, or 5th) pen pal.

*** As a participant, please understand ***

Your child is making a commitment to write to another child; not doing so will result in the disappointment of the other child. 

If something comes up where your child is no longer able to participate, please email Meg@kidsforpeaceglobal.org right away so that we may connect your child’s pen pal with another child.

We are so happy you are part of this meaningful project and are excited to make friendship connections between youth all over the world!

Sign Up

PeaceTogether: A Peaceful Pen Pals Art Project

In addition to old-fashioned letter writing, youth pen pals are invited to co-create a symbol of peace by decorating halves of a peace sign. Connected peace symbols will illustrate how collaboration, art and creativity can transcend barriers, fostering a deeper sense of connection.

How It Works

Please note: Your child must first be matched with a pen pal before taking the steps below. You will be notified which side of the peace symbol to decorate based on the alphabetical order of your child’s and their pen pal’s names.

STEP 1:

The Peaceful Pen Pal whose name comes FIRST alphabetically will download the LEFT half of the peace symbol. The Peaceful Pen Pal whose name comes SECOND alphabetically will download the RIGHT half of the peace symbol.

STEP 2:

Each pen pal decorates their peace symbol as they wish.

STEP 3:

Each pen pal’s guardian takes a high quality photo of their child with their respective half of the peace symbol, checking off the above photo checklist.

STEP 4:

Upload your photo here.

Upload Your PeaceTogether Photo
Download Flyer

Peaceful Pen Pals Terms & Conditions

Peaceful Pen Pals Class to Class Project