Receiving mail in the letterbox is a rarity for most kids nowadays and many don’t have extended family nearby, which is why a Māpua mother instigated her mailbox buddy initiative to connect generations.
Since she floated the idea, Alja Pak Storjak has been overwhelmed by the response from both older people and families with young children who want to be part of mailbox buddy and connect via mail.
She has been pairing them up so that children and older folk in the community can deliver letters, cards, pictures, or something they have made to the other’s mailbox.
“There is so much excitement, it is unbelievable. For the kids it’s a surprise in the mailbox, and for elderly, it’s much more.
“They love connection and to make someone happy. And parents recognise the value when those generations connect.”
The idea sprung from her own experiences, raising a family of three children, including a daughter with high disabilities and twins, a long way from family in Slovenia and seeing the excitement when something arrived in the mailbox from their family.
“I thought, there must be others like us without family around, so why not get some smiles from the mailbox?”
She thought she might get two or three people responding to her idea, but so far, she has had nearly 40 and has matched them so most of the kids can walk or bike to the older buddy’s mailbox to deliver their letter or drawing in person.
Following the success of her mailbox buddy idea and raising kids in a home where English is not their first language, Alja is now reaching out to people who love books to become a reading buddy with a local child.
The buddies would meet regularly, like at the library or under a tree in the park in summer, to read books and encourage a love of literature.
“It’s just a playful way of connecting, but also encouraging writing and reading, because I feel more and more kids might be losing that.
“It started as a simple idea to add a little bit of joy into people’s lives by bringing two generations together and who knows, there might be even more communities in our region wanting to add this connection, creativity and community spirit. One letter or book at a time!
“There are no expectations of this. It’s just putting something out there that I thought was simple and positive and will bring joy.”
Alja has a background in psychology and wellbeing, though most people know her and her husband, Sina, from their time at A Kind of Perfect coffee cart.
