On April 10, The Joy4All Project launched a new program – a mobile hotline designed with the intention of radiating a bit of joy into the lives of all who dial-in. The hotline features a variety of pre-recorded options for callers to tune into based on their own desire, from inspirational stories and reaffirming messages to spoken poetry, a collective of jokes and more. It is marketed as a break from the stressors claiming the hearts and minds of our world today.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has largely shut its doors, with most countries operating under strict stay-at-home orders, allowing only the most essential businesses to remain open to the public. Social distancing, the latest effort at slowing the spread of the virus, has ensured that most individuals remain home and in quarantine, away from others. As a result, mental health amongst isolated youth and adults is in a difficult situation.
The Joy4All Project was crowdsourced by a group of 21 high school students from Calgary, CA as a means to comfort isolated individuals in such trying times, providing them with a source of entertainment to lighten up their days. The students are involved in Recreational Leadership, an off-campus program paired with Ever Active Schools, an initiative with the goal of establishing young leaders amongst healthy school communities in Canada. In a statement on the project’s main website, the hotline was invented as a means “to bring joy to those in isolation… during these challenging times and ongoing public health measures.”
“We are a group of Recreational Leadership students who want to make our community a safer and better place.” the website says. “Our goal is to keep everyone engaged and happy during these tough times, especially the people who are helping the cause by self-isolating. We thank them for making this sacrifice for us and want to help them get through this time by giving them happiness and a sense of belonging.”
Joy4All is open to and in need of submissions from children and youth all throughout the world. These submissions can be written messages, recordings or content of any uplifting nature, and once approved, they will all be added to the collection of recordings available for listeners who call the hotline. Joy4All asks that each submission encourages “kindness, creativity and diverse messages of joy especially for our indigenous elders in isolation as well as seniors who are newcomers, immigrants and refugees.”
The volunteer program is currently scheduled to run through June; however, there is hope amongst the students involved that this project will carry on long after the COVID-19 pandemic ends. For those interested in submitting their own content to the Joy4All hotline, here is a link to their submission form.
If you or your loved ones are in a need of more positivity in your lives right now, call the Joy4All hotline at (403) 209-4300 or 1-877-JOY-4ALL.
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