East Los Angeles Service Center Smart Girls Senior Pen Pal Project

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

As a result of Covid-19, East Los Angeles Service Center closed its doors on March 16, 2020. Within the first few weeks of the pandemic, staff called seniors, families, and youth. It was evident that each of those populations, in their own way were beginning to feel the impact of the shutdown. They began to express how they felt lonely, isolated, and missed the daily interactions with others. Social isolation can have a significant effect on health and well-being and the shutdown continuously got extended. While staff did check in weekly with our seniors, it was less frequent contact as pre pandemic. Therefore, it was imperative that East Los Angeles Service Center think outside the box, we needed to address those feelings of isolation and the desired social contact. The Smart Girls Senior Pen Pal Project was developed and implemented as a result of the pandemic on May 1st , 2020, to address (1) the social isolation our seniors were enduring and (2) the increased loneliness that children and adolescents were experiencing due to the pandemic. The program introduced both generations to a new method of communicating, comradery and most importantly something to look forward to as they anxiously waited for their pen pal letters.