From the Mouths of Babes: Casper Can Call Hotline and Get A Pep Talk From Kindergartners
We all have bad days. Living in Casper, especially, lends itself to various forms of seasonal depression. Whether it's due to daylight savings time ushering in darkness earlier, or the cold weather, or that god-forsaken wind, many Casperites find themselves feeling a little blue this time of year.
Luckily, Casper (and the rest of the country) now has the chance to get a pep talk from kindergartners.
Earlier this year, as part of a school project, a group of California elementary school students created a free hotline that offers inspirational advice to anybody who calls it.
When dialing the number, callers are giving a myriad of options, depending on their mood and their needs.
If you're feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, press 1. If you need words of encouragement and life advice, press 2. If you need a pep talk from kindergartners, press 3. If you need to hear kids laughing with delight, press 4. For encouragement in Spanish, press 5.
And so on.
The project is called Peptoc, and it's a project that was started by students of West Side Elementary, a school in Healdsburg, California.
NPR reports that "It was put together with the help of teachers Jessica Martin and Asherah Weiss. Martin, who teaches the arts program at the school, says she was inspired by her students' positive attitudes, despite all they've been through — the pandemic, wildfires in the region and just the everyday challenges of being a kid."
Martin said that the idea came about after discussing with her class ways that they can give back to the world.
"I thought, you know, with this world being as it is, we all really needed to hear from them — their extraordinary advice and their continual joy," Martin told NPR.
And what advice it is! Depending on which number you choose, you will be given some words of encouragement that only children can offer.
"Bro, you're looking great," one child said.
"If you're sad, get a cookie," another offered.
"Don't give up; power through," a kiddo stated.
And, our personal favorite: "Choose weird."
"They have also been able to find coping mechanisms and advice for themselves to get through the day in a really positive way," Martin told USA Today." And we really wanted to share that with the world. We all really need that right now."
And how.
The hotline went live in February, and now averages more than 8,000 calls an hour. Which makes sense. People need all the uplifting they can get these days, and who better to offer encouragement than the purest among us?
The number to the hotline is 707-873-7862.