Single-session courses
Letter Writing Workshop
In collaboration with Penpals in the Community
A letter writing workshop for anyone who has something to say — to themselves, to someone they love, or to the year ahead.
About
Letter writing is one of the oldest forms of human connection — and one of the most underused
This workshop creates a structured, unhurried space to pick up a pen and say what needs to be said: to a loved one, to yourself, or simply to mark where you are right now. No writing experience needed. Just something worth saying.
Developed in collaboration with Penpals in the Community, this workshop brings together the art of letter writing and the reality of navigating mental health — in whatever form that takes for you. Each run takes a slightly different shape, reflecting the season and the people in the room. What stays the same is the invitation: to slow down, to reflect, and to let words do what conversation sometimes can't.
Who this course was designed for
This workshop was designed for anyone carrying something they haven't yet found the words for.
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Individuals and families affected by mental health issues who want a gentle, structured way to navigate difficult conversations
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Anyone at a reflective moment — a new year, a life transition, or simply a season that calls for pausing and taking stock
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Anyone who has never thought of themselves as a writer — but has something they've been meaning to say
If something about the title resonated when you read it, this workshop was probably made for you.
How This Workshop Began
The most important things are often the hardest to say — especially to the people we love most.
This workshop grew from an unlikely moment: a group interview for the SG Strong Fellowship in August 2023, where two strangers found themselves paired together for a hypothetical elevator pitch.
Valerie, founder of Penpals in the Community, and Florence, co-founder of SOAR, pitched a letter writing workshop for families affected by mental health issues — one bringing expertise in letter writing as connection, the other bringing a community of people navigating mental health.
They decided that even if neither of them made it into the fellowship, they would make the workshop happen anyway.
They both did. And so did the workshop — three times over, each run finding its own shape and its own people. What started as a thought experiment in a group interview became something quietly necessary: a space where pen and paper do the work that words out loud sometimes can't.
What this course sets out to do
This workshop is designed to give participants something increasingly rare — an unhurried space to reflect, to write, and to say what needs to be said, without the pressure of saying it out loud.
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Use letter writing as a tool for reflection — turning inward to make sense of where you are
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Express what's difficult to verbalise — to a loved one, to yourself, or to a moment in time
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Foster connection across relationships affected by mental health — between family members, between generations, between past and future selves
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Experience the quiet power of putting something into words — and leaving with something written that is entirely your own
What Happens in the Workshop
In two hours, participants move through a gentle sequence — from a warm welcome and icebreaker, into the quiet of writing, and out again through sharing and reflection.
Each run is shaped by a different prompt, but the flow stays the same: arrive, settle, write, share, and leave with something that didn't exist when you walked in. Sharing is always optional — listening in and holding your writing close is just as valid a way to be in the room.
What to expect:
An intentionally small group
small enough for everyone to feel the room — and what's in it
A space where writing is the work
no performance, no polished prose required — just you, a pen, and something worth saying
Light refreshment
because the best writing happens when you're comfortable
