Oregon Humanities is connecting strangers in the state -- one letter at a time

(JUNE 3, 2022) Exchanging letters by mail might seem old-fashioned. However, Oregon Humanities thinks it can be a fun and interesting way to connect people across the state. So it offers a project called "Dear Stranger." The nonprofit organization hopes to build community by asking participants to share experiences, beliefs, and ideas -- by mail and, at least at first, anonymously.

"Since 2014, more than 1,000 people have exchanged letters through the project. Everyone is invited to participate -- whatever your age, your place of residence, or your circumstances, Dear Stranger wants to hear from you," says Oregon Humanities on its website.

Here’s how it works: You write a letter and address it to "Dear Stranger." You can write anything you like. You can include anything that fits in the envelope, such as photo or drawing or recipe.

You send the letter to Oregon Humanities. The staff matches you with another letter writer. You get their letter. They get your letter. Later, you can identify yourself to your new pen pal, but you don't have to.

"Dear Stranger is open to everyone, though writers under the age of eighteen must have parental consent to participate. Letters are paired at random, though we do our best to match participants with someone outside of their ZIP code. Oregon Humanities staff read all letters before they are exchanged," according to the organization's website.

The deadline to participate is June 30, 2022. For more details, visit: https://www.oregonhumanities.org/programs/other-projects/dear-stranger/