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From: Anita
Date: 16 Oct 2011
Time: 05:27:08 -0500
Remote Name: 90.231.254.247
Hi Rachael. Thanks for stopping by. You're so right that young people have so much to worry about as it is. School, a body that's changing, social relations, looking for jobs, moving out etc. And stuttering is not making it easier... That's why i try to give them another view on stuttering. Stuttering sucks, but life doesn't. And as long as you stutter, you might as well make the best of it. I tell them about the horrors of my youth (add all the possible bad case scenarios in one person and you get me) but also show them why I am today and how I got there. I try to make stuttering cool. That being different doesn't have to be something negative. Getting on board despite wrong ticket. Everyone knowing me. Never have to look for something to talk about. Travel around the world to talk about stuttering, thanks to my stutter, despite my teachers telling me I was not going anywhere. Seminars, camps, congresses, parties, meeting great people, and of course using the isad to get spoilt. :-) But most of all, to make them see THEY can make a difference! This year 5 of them joined Toastmasters. One of them was a mayor. One worked for the EU. YOU decide what is possible and what not, not the people around you. If you want to learn more about my life, do read my papers in previous online conferences. Happy ISAD! Anita