Pen Pal Project Connects with Ukraine

Students in the Family Science and Human Development elective class Immigrant Families (FSHD 350) have become international pen pals with Ukrainian students this semester. According to Dr. Olena Nesteruk, “The goal of the Pen Pal Project is to promote cross-cultural connections between Ukraine and the USA and to enhance the lives of young people.” The project aligns with many topics explored in her class, including migration, refugees, displaced persons, and transnational families.

Given the option to participate in either the Pen Pal Project or a book club, 24 of the 27 FSHD students chose the pen pal assignment. They are communicating with Ukrainian eighth graders to mentor, support, and encourage English learning and education, while sharing and learning about each other’s lives, cultures, and countries.

Ukrainian Partners

The partner school is located in Chervonohrad, a small town in western Ukraine. Although it is far from the front line, the town gets daily air raids and indiscriminate shelling from russia (new Ukrainian grammar rules include not capitalizing the name of the country-terrorist). Most of the schoolchildren are from Chervonohrad, but many have been internally displaced from eastern Ukraine, seeking refuge from russian occupation, deportation to russia, or heavy fighting. Some pen pals’ parents and relatives are serving in the UA army, defending their country; a few have been wounded or killed.

Dr. Nesteruk, a Ukrainian native, communicates regularly with Chervonohrad’s English teacher and school principal to guarantee that their first collaboration is successful. In their introductory video, the Ukrainian team provided a look at their school and classrooms, and performed creative skits. They also shared an air raid siren and a view of the school’s bomb shelter where they continue their lessons during missile strikes and bombings. They showed the hard reality of how Ukrainian children are learning during the war.

Communication

The pen pal pairs have been communicating via email, snail mail, social media, and individual video calls. They discuss hobbies and interests, family, food, school, music, movies, fashion, sports, jobs, holidays, friends, travel, feelings, and future plans. Initially, the 13-14-year-old Ukrainians were anxious about their English ability and communicating with older Americans, but they were amazed at how easy it is to connect. All the participants really enjoyed communicating with an international friend and are learning that they have a lot in common.

Care Packages

In addition to letters, FSHD students sent their pen pals individual care packages filled with Halloween candy, snacks, small gifts, and souvenirs representing MSU, New Jersey, and the USA. Also included were the Montclair State University bags, T-shirts, pens, and pencils generously provided by University Communications and Marketing. Three boxes were shipped with the help of the Ukrainian-American non-profit Friends of Chervonohrad. Also in the works is a Halloween video that will include pictures of costumes, decorated houses, etc., to help the Ukrainian students learn about American traditions.

Benefits

The rewards of the Pen Pal Project benefit students on both sides of the world with the opportunity to:

• Interact with English learners/speakers
• Bridge international friendships
• Provide/receive mentoring and support
• Learn about another country, its people, and culture
• Develop cross-cultural perspective and appreciation of the positives and negatives in one’s life

FSHD students have the option to prepare creative presentations with their pen pals about any topic/issue, and all participants will write a final reflection at the end of the semester.

As future educators and family services professionals, these students are learning about life and schooling for children in a country at war, and gaining a better understanding of non-voluntary migration, displacement, and refugee crisis, all topics covered in their class. They are also discovering the incredible resilience of the Ukrainian nation, from children and families to teachers and all citizens.