Middle and high school students say...
“I saw things in myself I didn't know.”
“I learned that how I think and feel can be created into art.”
“Wonder Anew helped lower my stress levels.
“I was able to recognize goals that I want to set for myself. Since then, I have been trying to reach them.”
“I found it helpful to reflect on myself and my feelings and I appreciated writing about it.”
“I saw things in myself I didn't know.”
“I learned that how I think and feel can be created into art.”
“Wonder Anew helped lower my stress levels.
“I was able to recognize goals that I want to set for myself. Since then, I have been trying to reach them.”
“I found it helpful to reflect on myself and my feelings and I appreciated writing about it.”
“I felt like I got to express myself without someone making fun of me.”
“The project is about being vulnerable and letting stuff out.”
“I learned that it’s okay to say things as long as it’s anonymous.”
“I open to my hurt without concern about another judging me.”
Teachers say...
“These [submissions] provide validation for adolescents, which is needed and difficult to find.”
“Students express deep inner emotions and share intimate details of their lives.”
“This project allows teens and special needs students to open up to their memories and experiences, and it enables them to look at themselves as individuals: what they have accomplished in life or what they aspire to accomplish in the future. The website also allows participants to see others’ comments, perhaps encouraging others to participate.”
“The more widespread this becomes, the easier it will be for students to connect with the anonymous submissions.”
“I wrapped, taped and glued the boxes so the students could anonymously place their cards. You'll have fun opening them...”
Others say:
“It’s an opportunity to have the time that is just about myself to look inside.”
“It’s an opportunity to have the time that is just about myself to look inside.”
“It allows everyone’s thoughts equal weight.”
“It allows people to be honest with themselves.”
“It allows people to connect with others in their actions, aspirations, concerns, etc. (which unites people).”
“It encourages verbal and pictorial expression, which gives the writer/artist/participant more of a voice and humanizes them a bit more for readers (rather than see uniformly typed text).”
“The title is encouraging and hopeful, which sets a positive tone.”
“Wonder Anew may be about creating personal rainbows, but it has demonstrated that it is also a bridge to inner wisdom and to outreach, connecting, building community, encouraging faith... I love this project. It is so valuable and so important to the well-being of anyone who witnesses even a small piece of it.”
“Wonder Anew may be about creating personal rainbows, but it has demonstrated that it is also a bridge to inner wisdom and to outreach, connecting, building community, encouraging faith... I love this project. It is so valuable and so important to the well-being of anyone who witnesses even a small piece of it.”
“That this project takes the thoughts of “not-adults” seriously is wonderful, because there aren’t too many positive venues for that.”
“This is a safe space for individuals who may fear sharing their story.”
“Helps young people be more aware. A person puts thoughts about what they’re dealing with in words or images. Express themselves.”
“Provides a positive outlet for sometimes negative feelings that are quite common in teenagers though actually discussing and addressing these issues is not so common.”
“Asking about change provides a good framework…it implicitly implies that there could be a change in thought or behavior.”
“I think that encouraging people to take time and consider the changes they’ve been able to make makes the gravity of that change more real, more significant. It also helps visitors to the blog see that others have found the ability to change and also to know others may have the same fears and ambitions.”
“Anonymity is a powerful motivator.”
“It allows people to explore and express their deep feelings and reflect on their behaviors…”
“Opens participants up to feelings that they may not want to share. It seems to create an environment that allows for open and honest discussions in a safe and comfortable setting.”
“After exploring the site, I was really grateful for the moment I was afforded, and in which I was forced, to be really honest with myself.”
“The project lets people be vulnerable under anonymity and without judgment. It gives people a voice and celebrates the courage to admit frailty.”
“[Wonder Anew] is helpful by not offering advice, judgment, or acting in a space of authority.”
“Shows that others have the same struggles and that you are not alone or flawed.”
“I bet this project could be helpful to people experiencing large-scale trauma such as Katrina or the Tsunami.”
“I am honored to be a part of this project. I love to reflect yet rarely write it out. I really got emotional writing this.”
