Connecting despite the distance Interact launches a pen pal program where members are able to exchange messages with students in Haiti

BY ISABELA DUARTE, STAFF WRITER

ONE OF GABLES’ SERVICE clubs, Interact, has been providing students with countless community service hours through donations and events for years. Recently, the club has expanded this pool of service opportunities for students through the Pen Pal with Haiti initiative, which entails having Gables students interact with Haitian students through messages about a variety of topics.

The initiative was born after Henryka Manes, the founder and executive director of EcoWorks International, a group focused on Haitian rural development, and a previous Interact guest speaker, approached them with the idea. Manes has been involved with the Haitian community for many years, her previous work including helping farmers living in poverty. Interact took on the opportunity to expand the club’s service events; they began with 20 club members who had previously signed up to be part of the initiative.

The initiative is evolving through different phases in order to help the students get comfortable with each other. At frst, students solely communicated virtually through a group chat, but they later began to write handwritten letters that were hand-delivered by Manes to the Haitian students.

The program involves Haitian students from the Patrice

Lumumba School, a community-based institution whose goal is to provide highlevel education to all students, regardless of their beliefs or fnancial situation. Moreover, students who left school early on due to aging out of the public school system are also able to continue their education there.

“Manes thought that the initiative could serve as a way to help bring the feelings of students up,” Interact sponsor Margarite DePaola said.

The initiative was specifcically started to give Haitian students an escape from their situations at home. Additionally, the initiative allows Haitian students an

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Source: US Department of Education opportunity to practice their English skills with native speakers. h

“I was able to discuss a Haitian student’s culture and family through our conversations which was important to me as it helped me get to know her and her background better.” sophomore participant Maria Freire Solis said.

Participating students can interact with the Haitian students through questions about topics varying from hobbies to their daily lives. The program also aims to have the participants bond, allowing them to form friendships and create communities where they can learn about new languages and cultures, thus broadening their perspectives.

Through their conversations, participants are given the opportunity to not only grow academically as they gain intercultural connection skills, but also socially, as they learn how to embrace each other in the process.

“The initiative allows our members interact with others and experience what other communities are like.” Interact Senior Executive Samantha Morales said.

As for the future, Interact hopes to expand this initiative and take a step toward its goal by recruiting more members. The club hopes that all of those involved will be able to continue to feel the positive impact that was caused by the program and branch out to different service projects.