Right now, an 18-year-old in South Africa, a 17-year-old in Washington, D.C., and a professor at UNC Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business are bringing together hundreds of pen pals, all to support people in Ukraine.
This project is the idea of Dr. Vasyl Taras, associate professor in the Department of Management. He was born in Ukraine and his family still lives there. When the war against Russia began in March, his friends told him that the schools closed. Children stayed home or spent hours a day in bomb shelters, cut off from an education, their friends, and their ordinary social activities. His friends wondered if he could connect their children with someone who would help them practice English.
Dr. Taras looked to his connections through the X-Culture Project, an organization he founded that brings together students from 72 countries to collaborate on international business projects. He proposed a pen pal program for Ukrainian youths and young adults.
He expected a couple of people to help. Instead, hundreds of people said they were interested.
“I thought, maybe we can take more people from Ukraine, not just my friends’ kids,” he says.
He then made a Facebook post. In less than three weeks, he had heard from more than 500 people.
“We got responses from literally all around the world – Japan, New Zealand, India, all the way to Hawaii in America.”
More than 100 people from Ukraine, some as young as 10 years old, signed up for a chance to talk to people from roughly 70 other countries.
Connecting people around the world
Pen pals are nothing new – the name goes back to the days when communication was mostly done with pen and paper, not texts and video chats. Dr. Taras, however, has embraced the many ways we connect in the 21st century.
Pen pals meet using whatever platforms they prefer. Some use Skype or Zoom, others like WhatsApp, and others call one another or text.
Everyone who applies has to be verified through email or social media. They submit a minute-long video to demonstrate that their English is up to par. Each person is then matched with five other people, instead of creating one-on-one contacts, to give Ukrainians more opportunities to chat and find potential new friends.
Dr. Taras enlisted the help of two former students from X-Culture. Eighteen-year-old Layonne Maspero of South Africa matches the pen pals – adults with other adults, teenagers with other teenagers, and children with other children of the same age.
His other volunteer is 17-year-old Amay Arora, who lives in Washington, D.C. He compiles weekly surveys so they can address technical issues or problems between the participants.
“We’ve had some problems where Ukrainians signed up for the program but have not been able to communicate,” says Dr. Taras. “We’re not sure if they’re without electricity or the Internet or if they’ve had to evacuate. We’ve had two or three cases, which I guess is to be expected.”
Participants learn, chat, and bond
The primary goal is for Ukrainian students to practice their English while they are not in school, but these new connections to the rest of the world create many opportunities for everyone involved.
“Maybe some of them will become business partners or collaborators on a research project,” says Dr. Taras. “Maybe even some people will become boyfriends or girlfriends – why not? It’s not the intent, it’s not the purpose, but if it leads to something more, why not? That collaboration can conserve the world, not only Ukraine, but the world in different ways. Advice, connections, knowledge, skills – who knows what else it can lead to?”
As an academic, Dr. Taras expects to study how the project deepens people’s understanding of Ukraine. His home country has been in headlines for a few weeks, but conflict with Russia goes back centuries. Both of his grandfathers fought against the Soviet Union during the Second World War.
“For the past eight years, the war never ended. There were casualties every day, people dying every single day.”
The pen pal project gives individual Ukrainians a voice and a chance to tell their individual stories. Dr. Taras says, “For foreigners, it seems many of them do it because they would like to show support in any way possible, even if it’s with words. That’s very valuable in this situation.”
Looking to the Future
The project is only a few weeks old, too early to know what it will look like in the long term. Depending on how the war unfolds, Dr. Taras may reach out for more help.
Some have suggested expanding the project for practice in other languages, or to support children in other countries that have been upended by war and unrest.
“We’ve also had inquiries from Africa, the Middle East, or Asia, saying ‘Can we do the same thing for South Sudan or Sierra Leone?'”
Dr. Taras is exploring the possibility of creating a website or an app. He will also welcome volunteers with software or programming experience. Anyone interested can find his contact information on his faculty page.
He wants Layonne and Amay to get the credit they deserve for making the project run smoothly. They put in close to 20 hours a week.
“I’m so grateful they stepped up and did an incredible job so far. In a way, it was my idea and I do the coordination, but when it comes to the actual everyday work, they probably do even more than I do.”
Anyone who wants to become a pen pal can apply here. They can also learn more by following his Facebook page.
Bringing together young people around the world has ramifications far beyond the pen pal project, says Dr. Taras:
“Tomorrow they will become presidents, prime ministers, company owners, politicians. Through this program they’ll develop a better understanding and compassion for each other. Maybe they will make better decisions when it’s their turn to govern the world. Maybe we reduce the chance of a war like this in the future. I think that’s worth it, too.”
Story by Janet Imrick, University Communications
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
