Would you please share why you chose to apply and how this organization has benefitted you and your child?
The most valuable aspect of the YS program for our family has been the community. My dd8 has found real peers. She was telling me just this week that she feels so different from her school friends. With her PG friends she feels normal and happy.
As a parent it has been invaluable to learn from other parents' experiences. I also needed to have others with whom I could share the joys and struggles of raising a PG kid. Prior to my dd being accepted to join the YS program I felt like an alien. One of my reasons for having my dd tested was to prove that I was not crazy. I remembered the first time I got on the YS parent board. I cried reading the posts because I finally did not feel so alone (or crazy) anymore. This was prior to the creation of Gifted Issues board, which I wish had been available when my dd was younger.
We are fortunate to live in a large city with a sizeable group of YSs. We have a local list and operate a small co-op. We have regular group activities for the kids and adults. We are even in the early stages of planning a school. For the most part, the families in our local group were connected through the YS program.
We have not been to a gathering or needed advocacy assistance though I do ask my family consultant questions on occassion.
