Hello everyone! It's Joyce here reporting in (late). I can't even begin to explain how exciting this Winter with the Mindtriggerz Project has been for me. The first couple of meetings I spent listening to stories of Jesse while cleaning up old keyboards and dusting off monitors. Occasionally James would even try to teach me something about the computers. The people I've met continue to amaze me with their knowledge of computer parts, and the relationships I've formed have become dear to me.
The first Saturday training session one the 20th was a big success. After getting a good feel of how the sessions would go, the group decided to split up for the second session on the 27th. "The boys" stayed at Bekki's house to work on more computers, while Jerome, April and I went to the lab to work with the families.
It was a great session to say the least. All the kids who were there last Saturday came back, and more importantly, they were excited to be back! A few fathers showed up this time, and even played some games. One man told me, "This will be great for my whole family. We can all learn from this!"
A little girl I had helped last week came back ready to roll. After learning how to use a mouse just last week, she was already perfecting the drag and drop playing a puzzle game. Every time she finished a puzzle, a triumphant noise would sound from the speakers, and she would look up at me with one of those ridiculously happy smiles you can only see on child's face.
Another boy who hadn't shown much interest in the computers last time showed up again to give it another shot. His hand was so small he could barely manipulate the mouse properly, but after some practice on a colorful underwater game, he was clicking away like a pro. His father laughed and smiled and encouraged him the entire time they were there.
When I started working on this project, I wanted to hang out and talk to my friends. Actually working with the kids and watching their eyes light up has made even the smallest task like cleaning a keyboard seem so important. Every correct answer, every puzzle finished, and every new key memorized is a step towards a brighter future. It is Jesse's dream coming true. Everything these kids learn, they will take with them wherever they go. And that makes Jesse live forever.
ttyl
~Joyce
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