"My Pen Pal" Project – A New Initiative from Duyarlı ÖzÜ!

Dear Students,

We are pleased to share with you a new initiative of the Duyarlı ÖzÜ Volunteering Program.

In December, our student Naz Aydın, who organized a Braille (tactile writing) workshop on our campus, shared a thoughtful idea with us after the event: this experience should not remain only as an awareness activity, but should also turn into a meaningful connection between people. Inspired by this idea, we reflected together and designed the “My Pen Pal” Project.

As part of the project, volunteer students will first participate in a three-week Braille learning workshop led by Naz. Following this training, volunteers will become pen pals for four weeks with visually impaired students aged 18–20 who have not yet started university or have recently begun their university education, through the Parıltı Support Association for Visually Impaired Children. In this way, the project aims to go beyond a traditional volunteering activity and create a genuine space for peer-to-peer interaction and connection.

Currently, it is expected that approximately 7 visually impaired students from the association will participate in the project. However, this number may change by ±2 participants until the letter-writing phase begins. Therefore, among the applicants, volunteers who indicate that they would like to learn Braille and attend the workshops even if they do not write letters will also be considered as backup pen pals. Once the final number of matches is confirmed, some volunteers will be paired as pen pals, while others may participate only in the Braille learning workshops.

“My Pen Pal” Project Application Form:
https://forms.gle/n3xW3dvUa17RmEuS7

Braille Writing Workshops

Location: AB2 G11
Time: 14:45 – 16:15

Workshop 1: Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Workshop 2: Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Workshop 3: Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Letter Writing Period

We will meet every Wednesday between April 15 – May 6 at the same time to write our letters.

Letter Writing 1: Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Letter Writing 2: Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Letter Writing 3: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Letter Writing 4: Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Location: AB2 G11
Time: 14:45 – 16:15

At the end of the project, we are also planning to organize a face-to-face gathering on our campus with the students we corresponded with, within the scope of Disability Awareness Week. The details will be determined together with the project participants and shared at a later stage.

We warmly invite all volunteers who would like to learn Braille, experience a different form of communication, and build a new peer connection to join this project.

Students who wish to participate are kindly requested to fill out the application form below by Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at 12:00.

My Pen Pal Project Application Form:
https://forms.gle/n3xW3dvUa17RmEuS7

Kind regards,

Social Change Volunteers
Duyarlı ÖzÜ Volunteering Program