Feeling down? Call this number
Kindergarten school project created a pep-talk hotline
LAUREN CEBALLOS / CONTRIBUTOR / THE USD VISTA
“Peptoc Hotline” was established on Feb. 26 as a school project by West Side School in Healdsburg, California, as a way to bring happiness amid the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic and previous wildfires. Jessica Martin, an art teacher at the school, and Asherah Weiss, an artist, began the wholesome project.
Martin told her students to say something that helps make them happy when they are in a tough situation or need a smile, as a way of gathering recorded messages for the talk line.
The resource took a week to make, and according to USA Today, the line received 8,000 calls per hour.
The number 707-873-7862 spells out “707-8PEPTOC.” The phone call starts with a welcome from Rosely Pochan — Jessica Martin’s daughter — followed by a greeting and an option for the call in Spanish.
Listeners are prompted by a menu of options to choose from. For example: “press two for words of encouragement and life advice, press four to hear kids laughing with delight and press six to hear how awesome you look.”
Advice from the kindergarteners ranges from “Take three deep breaths” all the way to “Punch your pillow,” and “Do flips on the trampoline.”
Other recommendations include, “If you get nervous, get your wallet and buy ice cream,” “Be grateful for yourself,” “We love you,” “You can do it” and “This will get better.”
Calls began exceeding their expected quota within the first two days. The original cost of the phone plan was $50 dollars, providing for a thousand minutes, and allowing for an unlimited number of users. Due to the overwhelming number of calls, President Diana Chu of Telzio presented the hotline with one million calling minutes; now, there is a GoFundMe to keep the project going as an available resource.
As the semester deadline approaches, the holiday spirit is filling the air for many. However, before the reward of a break, there are finals, essays, projects and more.
USD first year Camila Gomez called the number and shared her thoughts.
“I thought it was really cute, because you can hear that they are kindergartners right away so obviously,” Gomez said. “I think of when I was a kid and it just makes me happy because their life is so simple.”
Peptoc serves to remind its callers that life is bigger than tests and that everyone has someone rooting for them.
USD first-year Elaina Berwind Hoffman found the recorded messages helpful for finals season.
“I really enjoyed getting little words of encouragement… especially with finals coming up, it feels really good to be told that ‘I can do this’ and I’m really thankful that I got to hear that today.”
Some of the most common forms of dealing with stress include exercise, maintaining healthy eating habits and taking breaks while studying. Peptoc presents a new option of relief for many.
According to an article by PsychCentral, The Benefits of Nostalgia, “Dr. Clay Routledge, Social Psychologist and Associate Professor of Psychology at North Dakota State University, nostalgia “increases positive mood, self-esteem, feelings of social connectedness, optimism about the future, and perceptions of meaning in life.’”
Nostalgia can be used as a marketing tactic to foster relationships, and through Peptoc as a way to foster positivity.
In the USA Today article on Peptoc, Chu shares, “What resonated with me was when Jessica described the idea behind it as ‘reinventing’ the phone menu, by shifting it from a typically frustrating experience to an uplifting one.”
For many, Peptoc serves as a reminder to be optimistic and can provide an uplifting break amidst the chaos and stress of finals week. Students in need of a pep talk can call the number 707-873-7862.