A Unique Friendship: My Experience with ‘Writing Back’
Ruby discusses her experience with the Writing Back Scheme; an award-winning pen pal project which pairs students with older residents across Yorkshire.
Note: details on how to apply for ‘Writing Back’ this year are at the end of the article.
For the last 9 months, I have been exchanging letters with my pen-pal Lesley, during which we have formed a rather unique friendship. A 50-year age difference, and an even greater difference in opinion, has not stopped us from discussing a broad spectrum of issues. All the way from COVID vaccines and LGBTQ rights to UFOs and the World Cup, me and Lesley have developed a cross-generational friendship through our discussions.
It is unlikely that me, a student in their early twenties, and Lesley, a 70-year-old retiree, would ever have met if it was not for the Writing Back Project. Established in 2014 by Dr Georgina Binnie, the Writing Back Scheme is an award-winning pen pal project which pairs students with older residents across Yorkshire. Dr Binnie was inspired by the letters she had exchanged with her grandmother during her time at university and the impact it had on both of their emotional wellbeing. Ever since, the Writing Back scheme has been helping to tackle loneliness and social isolation for both older people as well as students.
According to a recent study by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, on average, one in four adults over 60 report feeling lonely, and for those aged over 75, that figure increases to one in three. Letter writing is a powerful method of tackling those emotions, by giving people the space to connect with others and discuss their feelings.
That said, it is not only older people that experience loneliness and social isolation. Based on the Higher Education Policy Institute’s research, almost one in four students are lonely most or all of the time. This was made worse by the COVID pandemic, which forced us all to adapt to spending less time with family and friends.
“The Writing Back scheme has been helping to tackle loneliness and social isolation for both older people as well as students.
Ruby Wait-Weguelin
However, it was not loneliness that encouraged me to apply for the Writing Back Scheme, but rather an interest in letters. During the first national lockdown in 2020, boredom and isolation led me and my friends to write to each other. Despite the fact I had never written a hand-written letter before, this turned out to be an extremely fulfilling experience that gave rise to my interest in letter writing. After hearing about the Writing Back project, I signed up right away, excited for the chance to write to someone I would not usually get the opportunity to speak to.
Through our letters, Lesley has joined me on my year abroad in the Netherlands and my transition back to Leeds. As well as sharing lots of cat pictures, we have found many shared interests such as climate change, animal welfare and strike action. We have also engaged in some really interesting, and at some points controversial, debates on topics such as over-population, vaccinations, and LGBTQ rights.
Lesley has been involved in the Writing Back Project for eight years now and is still in contact with her first pen-pal. She is “still a rebellious student at heart” and was drawn to the project in order to engage in interesting discussions with people in further education. According to Lesley, she is not interested in the unstimulating conversations she has with people her own age. Instead, she would much rather learn about new ideas and discuss her passions such as architecture, historical sites, and trains. Over the years, Lesley has written to many different students, from many different countries and backgrounds. One of her pen-pals was studying Environmental Management and introduced Lesley to the issues surrounding climate change. This has been added to Lesley’s long list of interests and has led her to research subjects such as over-population and environmental politics.
After 9 months of letters, me and Lesley finally met in person and discussed our experiences of the Writing Back project over coffee and cake in Chapel Allerton. When discussing the positive impacts of the scheme, we were both in agreement of the different perspectives we have gained, and Lesley said:
“It is so wonderful that I can have someone to discuss such topics with who understands what I am talking about – albeit that we have opposing views”
Leslie
Similarly to Lesley, I have learnt a lot from the Writing Back scheme and it has been an extremely fulfilling experience to get to know someone in such a unique way. Although unconventional, this project has allowed me and Lesley to develop a true friendship and we will continue writing to one another past the project’s end date.
Further Information
If you would like to find out more about Writing Back click here.
Applications for the Writing Back project are now open! Complete this online application form by 11.59pm on Sunday 20 November 2022.
If you have any questions, please email: writingback@leeds.ac.uk.
