[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Anita S. Blom
Date: 16 Oct 2005
Time: 16:39:12 -0500
Remote Name: 81.228.215.14
I've been a (board)member of my self-help group for many years, but most of the time it's the same people coming. We tried so many different ideas and even had a survey, but we only got replies from those who use to come. Your ideas give me new inspiration for future meetings. So thanks a million! PS. At our European Youth Meeting the two groups were asked to make a short video about stuttering. To our surprise both groups made a video mocking stuttering! The first one showed the most silly situations PWS can run into (f ex the new boyfriend who cannot say stop while offered soup by his mother-in-law, a book salesman getting all his books sold just to stop him from talking). The next group recorded a commercial show for stuttering products (video that makes people stutter in movies), courses (on how to become a PWS) and prices (a date with a real life PWS). We laughed ourselves to tears and even the film maker (also a PWS) was surprised that these young people had no problems making fun of stuttering and laughed themselves off their chairs, while thinking back to the first day when they all arrived, shaking of pure fear... I wish we could all try and make stuttering into something cool and "sexy" and end each meeting with a positive thought? (Just to mention a few prefect ones: "There's no need to imitate my stutter, as you'll never be as good at is as I am" or the perfect liner "What I say is worth repeating" and of course "Stutterers are better lovers, they prolongue and repeat", but also some strong lines from famous people to believe in ourselves "To dare is to lose your foothold for a moment; not to dare is to lose yourself.") To keep our heads up and be proud of who we are, as we do speak, make phone calls and do tough jobs, despite our stuttering. Doesn't that prove we are one of the strongest species on earth?