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Support Groups Down-Under Style I wish to tell you of our social club named Breakthrough. When you think of it, this is a very neat way to solve loneliness and social deprivation. These are two of the hardest problems I have had to come to terms with and I m sure that I m not alone. Our club meets in Adelaide, Australia twice a month for four hours in what was the old, federal box factory. Because the building is old, it cannot be used as a factory but it cannot be destroyed either (being of some historical importance). Nevertheless, it fits our needs very well. I will freely admit that our best aid is Charlie Firster, a bloke who does a lot of work for the disabled. Charlie is full of energy and, from what I have experienced, that is what it takes! Although geographical confines do not allow us to lend Charlie to you (readers outside South Australia), I will give you a few tips: First of all, you need a whole host of helpers .. the more energetic, the better. Board games and card games can be stimulating as well as therapeutic. Consequently, a good supply is necessary or, rather, almost mandatory. After spending the afternoon talking with friends, drinking coffee and competing in a few games, it is time for .. PANIC. I can thoroughly recommend this game as a means of learning to think under pressure. The questions are relatively simple and the game includes four lost superheroes. There is a ticking noise going all the time that you are organizing and spitting out an answer. More and more, it becomes necessary to think-under-pressure. Because we have a good kitchen available, we do a fair amount of cooking. By far, the most popular is where Charlie organizes a pizza-making session. All members participate most fully in the enterprise. First of all, we wash our hands and then each member is presented with ingredients and the corresponding utensil to cut, peel, grate or whatever. Charlie then finds the most suitable place on the pizza top that has already be covered with tomato sauce. I have often wondered why our pizzas tasted so good. I have come to the conclusion that this is because of our own meager ingredient of cooperation. However, we don t just sit around and eat. That would have all sorts of repercussions. To make sure we have plenty of food-for-thought, Charlie often arranges for a guest speaker to entertainment and educate us. Always thinking of our good, Charlie sometimes finds an activity, like bowling, that requires us to meet away from home-base. So far, this has always been very well-organized and there have been no worries to date. In fact, we are doing so well, I reckon we should be known as ... Charlie's Angels. |
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