Pen Pal Clubs in the USA
Pen pal clubs allow individuals to make new friends, both in their own country and across the world, by connecting two people together so that they might communicate by letter. A large number of pen pal clubs are based across the U.S.A. These clubs range from long-established organizations with members across many countries to niche groups that focus on connecting people of a certain background or interest.
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General
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Many pen pal clubs are open to everyone, and don't have a specific aim or category of people in mind; these clubs simply wish to connect people. While some U.S. pen pal clubs might only allow American members, the majority contain individuals from all over the world even though they are based in the U.S., allowing U.S. residents to connect to people very different from themselves. Examples include International Pen Friends, a club formed in 1967 and which, as of 2011, has some 300,000 members. The club attracts both individuals and groups of pen friends from across the U.S.
Kids
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Some pen pal clubs restrict membership to children, with the benefits being that kids can find friends who they can relate to and can avoid talking to adult strangers, an aspect of normal pen pal clubs that might concern some parents. Some clubs go a step further and have separate categories for each age range, so that teenagers are put in touch with other teens, while younger kids write to people closer to their own age. Other clubs, including the Circle of Friends group, are for girls only, and operate a privacy policy that ensures pen friends don't get members' email addresses. Girls are invited to search for pen pals who share their particular interests.
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Specific Country Focus
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Some U.S. pen pal clubs were set up to connect members to people in particular foreign countries, with the aim of promoting cultural diversity and cross-cultural friendships, and allowing each country to learn more about the rest of the world. For example, Kenya Connect, a charity focused on the African country, runs a pen pal program that puts American children in touch with their counterparts in Kenya. The program attempts to develop kids' communication skills while allowing them to talk about their respective cultures.
Specialized
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Some pen pal clubs are specialized in terms of the kind of individuals who members are put in touch with. For example, these clubs might deal specifically with people of certain races, or of particular backgrounds or religions. Some clubs allow members of the public to write to men and women currently in prison, while others allow disabled individuals to connect with others in similar circumstances. These include Handicapped Friends, which is aimed toward the disabled but also accepts non-disabled members.
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Resources
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