Awakening Minds Launches "A Mother's Wish"

Dear everyone:

It is with great emotion -- excitement, fear, and trepidation -- that I launch "A Mother's Wish", a campaign to generate understanding and awareness of the need to create a community for helping lower-functioning individuals with autism (particularly youths and adults) realise their full potential. 

Here is an excerpt from "A Mother's Wish" (to read the full text, please go to www.awakeningminds.sg):

A Mother's Wish

"The day when we won't be around..." is the oft-unfinished phrase that we parents and caregivers of special needs children are all too familiar with. Once these words are spoken, they linger with an oppressive weight that cannot be easily dispelled. For within the pregnant silence lies is the tacit query that we dare not articulate, for fear of tearing up:

Who will be there to love my child, as I have loved him(her)?

This oft-unspoken reality is one that we often push to the back of our minds, as we get caught up in the daily grind and challenges of our parenting journey along the road less travelled. Much as I would have wanted to put off my confrontation with this prospect, I have now reached the crossroads of my homeschooling journey with Sebastien, my moderately autistic son, who is heading into his 17th year of life…

Thus, my New Year Resolution for 2013 is to embark on a lifelong endeavour to create the Awakening Minds Community(working name):

My objectives for “A Mother’s Wish” are:

• Generate a groundswell of awareness and support for the creation of a community dedicated to helping low-functioning individuals with autism to realise their potential;
• Initiate an open-minded and open-hearted brainstorm of ideas for creating such a community; and
• Set forth potential strategies as an invitation to like-minded carers, professionals, and policymakers to step forward and participate in collaborative endeavours.

Our contributions: Both Sebastien and I will do be doing our part to contribute to the campaign — Sebastien with his water colour paintings and me with my writings and endeavours to promote awareness (please go to http://awakeningminds.sg/#ourcontrib to learn more and check out Sebastien's art). 

Blowing in the Wind, Water Colour by Jean-Sebastien Choo (Raw Art Series)

There is also some ideas for how YOU can help with the campaign, at the minimum by spreading the word and sharing your ideas with me... (please go to: http://awakeningminds.sg/#youcando)

For the rest of this year, I will be putting out regular updates to promote thought, discussion, action, and inspiration, as well as organising activities and events related to the campaign. 

Thank you in advance for your support.

Kah Ying