Young Tarneit resident Aanchal Sharma is going the extra mile to make a difference in the community during lockdown.
Aanchal, 16, said that she felt “frustrated and annoyed” to go into the sixth Victorian lockdown because she had only been back at school for three days.
“But, after recognising my emotions, I decided that I’m going to focus on my mental health and reach out to others in my wider community,” she said.
“I decided to write messages on blank white cards and put them into the letterbox of residents in Tarneit. ”
The cards include messages such as: “We all are in this together,” and “You are stronger than you know”.
“I feel that putting in the extra effort to write up and decorate cards is an amazing way of bringing a smile, making people feel like they belong, and making people look forward to something,” Aanchal said.
“I just love giving back to the community, and every small difference adds up to make a big difference.”
Aanchal said she has written posted about 30 cards so far within five kilometres of her home.
“I’ve had some people see me put the letters in the letterboxes, and have smiled, laughed and said ‘thank you’,” she said.
Aanchal will also be taking part in the Victorian Student Representative Council’s online Victorian Congress 2021 next month.
“One of the key aspects I am looking forward to speaking about is mental health,” she said.
“We don’t know when the lockdown will end, when restrictions will ease, but remember, we have already gone through this many times, and we are all in this together.”
Alesha Capone
