IYS (International Youth Service) was an organization based in Turku, Finland, that arranged penfriends in other lands for 10-20 year old pupils and students.
I first heard about it in 1987, from our English High School teacher. She came into class keeping an application form in her hands, asking whether any of us would like to gain a foreign friend, by letter exchanging.
I was among many other pupils who raised their hand and said "me!", without knowing what exactly to expect, as I never had a penfriend before.
A few weeks later, our teacher gave us the slips with our potential friends' names, address, hobbies and languages they spoke. My match was a girl from Finland, similar age and interests as me. She had received the slip with my info earlier and wrote me first! A new world was waiting for me to explore!
Over the years, I got in touch with nice penpals from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Portugal, Switzerland and other countries, and I'm still in touch with some of them.
I remember how excited I was to find a letter (or more than one) waiting for me, as soon as I got back home from school.
Getting to know my long distance friends, learning about their countries and lives and hearing about their different point of view was amazing!
Thanks to IYS, I was introduced to the world of snail mailing, the art of letter writing and became a huge fan of postage stamps and postcards!
The stamp on the first letter I received from Finland.
Still one of my favorites
Sadly, IYS closed down in
2008, when the Internet "invaded" into people's lives and there wasn't a reason for them to exist anymore.
International Youth Service is a part of my past, a part of my carefree childhood and teenage years, that I will always remember and feel nostalgic about!
Your comments are welcome!
I remember how excited I was to find a letter (or more than one) waiting for me, as soon as I got back home from school.
Thanks to IYS, I was introduced to the world of snail mailing, the art of letter writing and became a huge fan of postage stamps and postcards!
Still one of my favorites
Sadly, IYS closed down in
2008, when the Internet "invaded" into people's lives and there wasn't a reason for them to exist anymore.Your comments are welcome!
I had penfrirnds too! I had frank from america maria from italy ntina from greece and vladimir from russia.But sadly i have lost contact with some of them
ReplyDeleteApplication looks very familiar :)
ReplyDeleteI worked there almost ten years, writing addresses and sending mail. Nice that ppl remember ��
Thank you so much Henna.
DeleteThank you for your amazing job!
Deletehello Henna:)
Deletei m laura from France :) i liked very much I Y S :) i had a japanese friend with whom i d like to get in touch again ...could it be possible to get her address again in japan???? ( it seems not so easy to get in touch with her again ....)
It was so amazing idea and helped people to practice a seconed language. I remember that time when i received the my pen-pal card. That was 1992 and when i sent my first letter to my pal. I still remember also her address.
ReplyDeleteaaaaahhh!good old memories!!
ReplyDeleteThe best memories of my life was receving closed envelopes by actual, real mail, and IYS has a lot to do with that. I loved them! I was fortunate enough to be able to look for my old penfriends and be (keyboard) friends now.
ReplyDeleteBest memories of 80's-90's!
ReplyDeleteI wrote with Anke (Germany), Olivia (Portugal), Camila (Sweden), Diana (Switzerland), Riet (Belgium),Isabelle (Malta), Marjolein (Netherlands), Emma (U.S.A) and Cheyenne (Canada)!
I couldn't wait to go back home from school in case I had a letter from them, it was amazing and I often think of them nowadays, even if more than 30 years have already passed!
I still have my snail mail letter penpals, for over 30 years old.... right now i only have 37, but obce i gad 80... my normal nr Of snail pépals was around 50!!!!! So much pleasure in an enveloppe!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing service! How exciting it was to come back from school and find my friends' letters! I remember talking with my classmates about our penpals, it was such an incredible experience. Thanks for this post, l wish l could find my lost penpals, like you said, they' re a great part of my past!
ReplyDeleteSabes, además nos ayudaba a mejorar la redacción y la ortografía, además de cultivar la paciencia. A veces era esperar un mes para que llegara una carta y escuchar al cartero acercarse era emocionante.
DeleteQué lástima que ya no exista este tipo de servicio. Aunque la internet hace maravillas, no es igual, yo continúe con una gran amistad por casi 40 años...si alguien sabe de alguna opción viable actual que me informe...Saludosssssss
ReplyDeleteIt's such a shame they closed down. It was the best memories of my life! I wish I could locate 2 long lost IYS penpals for mine: Sara S... from Switzerland and Meike J...... from Germany, both born in 1970, we wrote for several years, starting in 1983!
ReplyDeleteI found penpals from IYS too! It is sad that they closed. It is a warm feeling to write ... I hope someday it will come back. Thanks for sharing and helping me bring back memories!
ReplyDeleteI had penpals from Spain, Sweden and Turkey. It was so nice to "meet" people from other countries. I wish I could get in touch with them now . It would be amazing. :)
ReplyDeleteCan't forget my excitement when i find letters with my name on them and how excited i was to answer back! Wish my kids would live the same experience.
ReplyDeleteI met my husband through IYS! We began writing in 1970 when I lived in England and my hubby was in Canada. After 4 years of earnest, serious teenage discussions (and occasional squabbles), I came to Canada for a visit and went home 3 weeks later with an engagement ring.
ReplyDeleteI was 18 when we married 5 months later, he was 19. I left home, emigrated and got married all in the space of a week. They literally said it wouldn't last but tomorrow is our 44th anniversary and our daughter is getting married the same day.
Without IYS, my entire adult life would have been vastly different. Such a shame that in our over-connected world, penpalling is no longer valued.
Karen your story touched my heart ... Love is evey where but we have yo look and find 💘💝
DeleteWhat a nice story!
DeleteI had a penfriend from Tasmania through IYS in about 1980. We wrote on and off and a few years later she contacted me again telling me her husband was from a nearby town in England. Fast forward about 25 years and we were back in touch through Facebook. Found out that not only was her husband from a nearby town but his mother was old friends with one of my oldest friends' mum! The world certainly is small. Although we still haven't met, my penfriend now lives in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteIYS is apart of my past what an amazing feeling when I read these words it's truly deeply emotional feelings ..I missed these days ..I built my culture & Attitude via IYS friends.. I wish to be back 20 years and write new letters not chatting..
ReplyDeleteI was a member of IYS when I was studying in secondary school. I kept in touch with beautiful friends from different countries. I remember waiting for letters of my pen- pals impatiently. Those were the days I started to contact with foreign people and naturally learn foreign cultures. Thank you IYS. Really grateful for your service .
ReplyDeleteI was just approached by one of your filipino-japanese volunteer here in Tacloban City. We have had little conversation about the organization and its cause. I'm just amazed how a foreigner seek help from people to help my co-Filipinos. More power to you! And to your organization. God Bless😇😇😇❤️🙏
ReplyDeleteMiki from Japan, Martina from Austria, Sofia from Greece, Paola from Italy, Tanja from Germany and Sonia from Spain were my favorite penfriends. We used to exchange postcards, photos, cassette tapes and magazine papers. Sadly, we lost contact, but they are still in my heart. I remember how excited I was each time I got a letter from them, it brightened my day! I hope I will find them again one day!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Myriam, I´m from Argentina. I used to have penpals thanks to IYS. I had friends from Japan ( Yoshitaka), Turkey ( Gunsu), Phillipines (May Faith). I remember that a boy wrote from Sudan, the envelope had a fragance I haven´t known till then. I have good memories from those times. Wish life has been good to all of them.
ReplyDeleteI'm Junior From Haiti, I had 2 penfriends, Valeria from Italy, and Friederich from Germany, we shared pictures, postal cards and life experiences, i remember this time, may it's nostalgic but i miss it.
ReplyDeleteBest memories e v e r!
ReplyDeleteIt was the pre-Internet era, everything was innocent and pure. It was fantastic to get letters from abroad!!
We exchanged photos postcards, stamps, voice tapes, papers of magazines, coins and small gifts.
I recently got reconnected with two of my IYS long lost penpals on Facebook. It was amazing to get to know each other again, after such a long time, and know our whereabouts nowadays!
We are from different countries, cultures and backgrounds, but we will always care about each other. Perhaps we will start writing again someday, who knows, when our lives become less busy!
Thanks IYS and IYS' workers, you did a great job!
I reconnected with my IYS penpal from Austria a few years ago and even if we are not into snail mail anymore, we keep in frequent touch through Facebook etc and it's so great! I wish we had never lost touch or we had reconnected earlier. A precious part of my childhood too!
DeleteNice article, it brings up so, so wonderful memories!
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew then that those would be the best years of my life...
My sister came during a break at school and told me that one of her classmates could get us friends from abroad. I asked her classmate what this was about and she told me that, by filling an application form and with a minimal amount of money, she could get me a foreign penpal.
I went home, asked my parents, who told me to do it. They were really supportive and I still thank them for that.
I started writing, and I was so excited, that I soon got an application form and started getting penpals for me, my friends and relatives.
In the letters we were talking about our daily life, school, friends, hobbies, our countries etc. Of course, we made grammar and vocabulary mistakes, but that wouldn't matter at all!
It was also nice to send and receive small things that could fit into an envelope, such as photos, postcards, stationary etc.
I remember talking about our penpals with my friends at school. Our penpals were like a family to us.
I reconnected with some of my old IYS friends on Facebook, and, even though we are not writing anymore and our lives are different, we all treasure those years and our friendship!
Hello there, I am IYS "alumnus" and I have great memories about my young years as a 6th / 7th graders having pen pals through IYS from Canada, Hong Kong, and France. I was also collected friends' applications and fees to help them having pen pals! That was so much fun and improved my language skills too.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you all though...I would LOVE to own one IYS "paper" application form...
I wish I could have an application form too, but I'm afraid it's not easy to get one, since IYS closed:(
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing so many good memories. Do you have the scan of the last page of the form to share, i.e. page 4?
ReplyDeleteI remember I.Y.S., I had wonderful friends from all around the world! I wish I could get in touch with them again!
ReplyDeleteWow so many memories, loved my penpals, so excited to write and receive letters in my teens. I've kept every single one of them somewhere. So sad to hear the shut down.but I guess internet has replaced the need for such service. ❤️
ReplyDeleteOtto Benard Uganda looking for Amanda Henry USA
ReplyDeleteAdauto Pereira, from Brasil. I had the privilegie tô have more than 30 penpal friendly from around the world thanks tô IYS in the 70’s. What a wonderful legava,
ReplyDeleteSad is no more. But exists in my heart.
ReplyDeleteI made few pretty female friends .
So sad that IYS has to shutdown.
ReplyDeleteI met one of my best friend thanks to it in Australia.
We met eatch other several Times.
I will miss it as i wanted to share that experience with my daughter but it won't be possible....
Sooooo sad for it.....
How nostalgic! I often think of my Japanese penfriend, Miki Tsubaki and her wonderful letters!
ReplyDeleteYeah those were the most memorable times of my life where I got to know new friends thru snail mails. The excitement of waiting for Mr Postman everyday had become a daily chore. I also often think of all my pen friends from Europe and Japan, and wonder how they are getting on now....
ReplyDeleteMy best I.Y.S. friend was Marianna from Greece. We were writing each other since we were teenagers. I visited her in her beautiful country and met her wonderful family and she visited me where I used to live. I still remember our serious discussions, also our laughs about silly things. She was incredible and deserved all the best. She's no longer with us and this has been and will always be a thorne in my heart.
ReplyDeleteIn 1971 [13yrs old], I received my first German penpal. I had just started learning a foreign language at school.[In Australia] A friend was organizing penpals through IYS and I thought it would help my German.For the next 5 years I would accumulate a collection of penpals from different countries as the 'bonus' penpals started to mount up. By the end of '75 I had 3 penpals in Germany, & one in Norway, Denmark, Finland & Indonesia as well.As I collected stamps, receiving a letter was an additional joy.I eventually became a secondary school German teacher & one of the things I did was to ensure my students had penpals through IYS. I visited one of my German penpals & my Norwegian one in the '90s. We still keep in contact, even though it is mainly through Facebook.[We do exchange Christmas cards]I retired from teaching in 2005 so I missed the demise of IYS. I think the this was so sad as writing letters played such a large & enjoyable part of my life. So many wonderful memories.It helped foster my love of German which led me to my eventual career choice. I think it is regrettable that children today miss out on the enjoyment and educational benefits of letter writing.What an incredible job IYS did, & what a tremendous impact it made on people's lives world-wide.
ReplyDeleteIt all started with International Youth Service so many years ago. I remember the feeling of waiting a letter from a penpal living abroad, it was just beyond words. I'm still into penpalling, still my favorite hobby! Katrine
ReplyDeleteMy penpals were very important to me. I miss all of them, especially the ones from Belgium, Greece, Mauritius, Finland and Spain. I used to live in Austria back then. Alex.
ReplyDeleteTo complete my previous message, my dear Belgian penpal died a few years after we started corresponding. I still remember her and feel very sad. Alex.
ReplyDeletei am Harald from Germany. really nice article,
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew then that those would be the best years of my life...
really it was so!
In the letters we were talking about our daily life, friends, hobbies, our countries and problems etc. Of course, we made grammar mistakes, but it does not matter.
It was also nice to send and receive small things that could fit into an envelope, such as photos, postcards, stationary etc.