- Feel the benefits of showing gratitude and making others feel appreciated
- Increase appreciation for community care
- Continue to improve prosocial skills
- As a club, explore and select a group within your school or community to write gratitude letters to
- This will totally depend on your club, but here are a few ideas:
- Gratitude letters to teachers or support staff in your school (this is OMM’s favorite!)
- Appreciation letters to another service-based club at your school
- Thank you letters to local animal shelter employees
- Thank you letters to local healthcare or medical staff
- This will totally depend on your club, but here are a few ideas:
- Once the club has selected a group, allow club members to work individually or in groups to compose their letters.
- Encourage them to be specific in their gratitude and get creative by decorating them with any art supplies you have available.
- Pro Tip: Play some music while folks are working! OMM personally loves lo-fi beats for calming background music.
- Once they’re finished, student leaders should seek support from club sponsors on the logistics of mailing or delivering the letters. Be sure to provide a return address in case anyone wants to write back!
- If time allows, move on to discussion questions.
- Consider this quote: “If self-care is about what you do for yourself, then community care is what you put into and what you are able to receive from the community you have built around yourself, as well as the community you live in.” –Donna Oriowo
- How does the group we chose contribute to community care?
- How might these letters contribute to community care?
- Why is it important to tell people directly that you’re grateful for what they do? How might it feel different to hear specifics rather than just a general “Thank you?”
- How can you start practicing community care more intentionally in your day-to-day life?
- This could be extended to the entire student body by setting up a letter drop box somewhere in the school with instructions on what the letters are for. That way, anyone who wants to participate can read the instructions and just drop their letter off when they’re finished!
- For more tips on how to write messages of gratitude, check out this article from Positive Psychology
Inspired by TJ Minds Matter