Take the Risk
I came across a poster when walking around college talking about an opportunity to talk to other young people and hear their stories. I've always been a closed-off person; being on the spectrum and being diagnosed with high stress and anxiety doesn't really give you good social skills, but for some reason, which I don't regret now, I decided to screw it and take the risk.
I signed up and went, and it turned out to be quite pleasant. Sure, I was quiet throughout it, but the people who attended were nice, which is a rarity in my experience. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. Plus, the gift card & free pizza were enticing to stay if I have to be completely honest, but could you blame me? When I heard that there was an opportunity to be part of something more, I decided to push myself further and take it, and to this day that was the best decision I made.
Fun and Relaxing
The meetings that came afterwards were fun and relaxing; I met kind people and actually opened up a lot more. The planning of the event was fun, and I had tonnes of ideas to share even though I got ahead of myself on some, which I admit. Whenever I had the chance to use my skills to help, I jumped to it, like how I designed some of the posters. I also got given the chance to go beyond radio to help advertise the event, which was awesome! But nerve-wracking at the same time. I actually felt heard and seen at these meetings, which felt great since I'm not really a sociable person, to put it at best connected instantly with the other planners and loved talking to them. When the event actually came, I was nervous but had super fun! I nearly cried with happiness when I saw MY posters on the wall; something that I created was being shown, and it warmed my heart, especially when I heard that several people loved it.
I am really grateful to Catherine and everyone else for letting me be part of this amazing charity, and I hope I can be more of use in the future.