Meaningful Update - So we do a young men’s meeting on Saturdays here which I’ve only done a couple of times as I work Monday thru Friday. Four of us started rotating Saturdays so I now do it once a month. The young men are actually displaced teens (13-17) that all live together in a state ran home and most have DFACS cases and are either trying to get into foster homes or placed there by the court system for one reason or another. It’s sad, honestly, it breaks my heart. We let them come to our place for a couple of hours on Saturdays and do a short meeting just checking in with them. Its a How are you doing/feeling etc. kind of thing and then we talk and I grill hot dogs and we eat. Then play in our awesome yard throwing the football, play darts, volleyball, etc. Well, I notice one Monday when I was off the previous Saturday that someone has been in my desk drawers. Which initially bothers me until I notice my personal office Yoyos from my desk drawer on my desk. I’m immediately thrilled because I have been planning on introducing these kids to throwing. So last Saturday I busted out the big tub of YoYo’s that we bought from YoYofactory and gave them all one. Most of them were into it after I busted out a couple of tricks and one 13-year-old kid could already around the world. So after the wonder diminished a bit and they began to do other things I noticed a kid who is generally pretty quiet and has really been thru a lot for a kid is still at it. Trying to figure out how to get one of my unresponsive throws back up. Long story short - I spend the last 40 minutes working with this kid who is trying his heart out, sincerely into it and thoroughly enjoying it. By the time they left, he could walk the dog and had a few successful binds. I gave him a couple of better strings and showed him how I modified my spinstar to be less responsive. I showed him how to do man on the trapeze and told him if the next time I see him (which would be a month from now) if he shows some progress I will hook him up with an unresponsive YoYo “one of the expensive ones” as he called it. Guys, this experience left me feeling so good to see a kid who has been so reserved just open up and become so social over this connection we had through a Yoyo. It was incredible. I can’t wait to see how he has progressed. (Thanks Again @YOHANS “I just figured out you have a profile on here and would love for you to read this entire thread”)
Dude, I love this. I love you. I love the experience you had with the kid!
Thanks for the continued updates!
I love you too brother. Thank you, it was awesome!
This is so awesome! Back when I was a counselor at an adult inpatient rehab, I used to hold a weekly “expressions” group. It was kinda like a talent show. The clients loved it, they would look forward to this group, practicing music, dance, poetry, etc… all week long. Some clients were a little afraid to get up in front of 50-70 people and perform, so I would usually start by going up there an “playing” with my yoyo. I cant tell you how many clients came up to me each week and asked to try out my yoyo. I’d always bring extra responsive freehand 2’s to give away. Some of these clients came from the streets with literally the clothes on their back and nothing else. The look on their face when i gave them this yoyo, it was priceless.
I just want to applaud you and YoYoFactory!!! It only takes a mustard seed… and in this case, a new yoyo!
Thank you so much for adding your experience. I love to hear stories like this.