 Hello everyone, I'm delighted to be here with the wonderful Students of Bridging once again. And as always, these students are in community connections and they are learning about the ability for everyday people to come in and make their own TV show and tell their own story. So without further ado, I'm going to have the dream seekers introduce themselves to you. My name and kingdom is that the high school I go to is M.M.U. Awesome. My name is Ryan and I'm going to M.M.U. I'm Claire and I go to see us. I'm Claire and I go to see a death. Awesome. And then we have one more student in the dream seekers. I study. I study. Yes. I'm So, they're going to be here today. I'm sorry I'm not here today, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw the artwork that he's been creating at Bridging that is starting to fill these two walls. So what's going to happen today is the dream seekers are going to interview and be interviewed by renowned activist, disability activist David Fry. So we'll introduce him in a moment and then, and this will happen. Each student will have some time with David. So and they'll be talking about advocacy. They will also be talking about the artwork, the works of art that they created with Topaz Weiss over at Expressive Arts, Burlington. So without further ado, we're going to snap out the dream seekers. But we need to get, but we need to see, um, Nervousness. Yeah. So we're all going to snap one, two, three. And now I'd like to take a moment and introduce our guest of the morning, David Fry. David, it's so wonderful to have you here again to talk to these young potential future advocates. Do you, was there anything you'd like to say to start us off before you meet each of the students? No, I guess, you know, I'm really, really thankful to be on the show and to show them a little inspiration that, hey, I'm such a great advocate and to teach them that they can be too. So I'm bring me aboard on them. Okay, awesome. Great. So we will snap in Clara. Hey, Clara. Hey. Okay, you've got some questions for David. What does self-advocacy mean to you? Mean to you. What self-advocacy means to me is speaking up for myself, speaking up for others that cannot be speak, that cannot speak up for themselves. And to be part of the table. When decisions are being made for us or being, being made for me, I want to be at that table. And I want other advocates to be at that table too. So we need to be at the table when decisions are being made for us. Awesome. Where is your day going? Oh, yes, she has a second question. Did you hear that? I didn't hear it. How is your day going? My day is going great so far. And I'm really, really glad to be on this program, to give you advice, to hopefully that you will take my advice, because being a strong advocate for you, being yourself, it's very important. And if you want to speak up for others, it's important as well. Cool. So, yeah, do you want to talk to David about your artwork? Yes, I made this with Topaz in Bresson Art Studio, we have cards and thumbs down. So I believe her, she gives you a prompt when you go in to do a collage that shares something about yourself, like maybe the inside of yourself. This is my inside. Is this the back? What's on the back here is your inside? I realized. Yeah, let's show that, because I don't think I took a picture of that for the thing. So there's, what is that, there's a man and woman talking next to a sort of romantic night scene. And I realized, and then on the outside, cars. And I heard that that was inspired by a movie. You love movies. That's in there yet. That's great. David, do you have some questions for Clara about her artwork, her work of art? What inspired you to do that beautiful artwork and what is in it that could mean a little bit of self-advocacy in it? Thumbs down. Is that, is that a way to share that you don't like something? I don't like. A way to speak up for yourself? Yeah. You get your opinion out? Yeah. That's wonderful. Can I be done? Are you, are you feeling finished? I'm finished. Okay. Awesome. Great job, Clara. Clara, do you want to snap out? Oh, come back so we can snap you out, because you'll love it when it happens. So take a seat and say, well, Clara, so wonderful for you to have a chance to chat with David. Let's snap out. One, two, three. And here I am with Ryan, Ryan David. Ryan, do you have a question to ask David? Hey, David. Hello. And Ryan, remember you can just relax, share your, do you have your question? Yeah. Dave, my name is my name. And today, I have a, from this one, what have you gotten out of being a self-advocate in Champlain Voices? What does it mean to be an advocate for Champlain Voices? Yeah. Well, I think what it means is to bring my voice to be heard at a table where we're all self-advocates and we're all working on great things for one another. And I bring things that are important to me, which should be important to other self-advocates as well. And I think that's what it means for me. I think bettering ourselves and being great advocates, that's the name of the game. All right. What I made today was this poster, was that, Ryan, Ryan, if you touch it, it makes it really normal in there. So, yeah. So, Ryan. Okay. Ryan. What I did is meet with poster with Topaz, and I'm going to turn out some expressive arts, Burnington. So Ms. Art was made and inspired me because I was just really glad because I'm sort of excited to show the art. So, next. Well, maybe do you want to say, David, do you have a question for Ryan? That is wonderful artwork. And what inspired you to do this artwork? Well, well, it inspired me from magazines because of Brenda. And, no, actually, it inspired me from magazines and I was sort of excited. Because I got inspired to make a cut, I had a cut in glue and I'm just excited. So, thanks, Dave. You know what I love about, can I share something that I love about this? I heard, so Topaz usually gives people a small piece of paper and you expand it. Yeah, you and Topaz saw that you needed more space and she gave you a bigger piece of paper. Yeah. Which is great. She saw that you and Ryan, you do expand and need space. That's what I'm all about. I'm in the band and we the man. You're in between the same. Yes. So you take space. And how did that feel when she didn't say, oh no, no, sorry, Ryan. You have to stay in the small space. I'm sorry. She said, no, I see you want to expand. Okay. Here's a bigger piece of paper. Thanks. How did that feel? Oh, it felt great. And it felt good. You ready to rock on? You want to thank David? Thanks, Dave, for meeting me for a minute. I'm going to add Kaden's snacks because I'm going to say it with words. One, two, three. And now here's Kaden's welcome. Thanks. You a question for David? I do. Tell us a story about a time you broke up for yourself. There's a lot of times that I spoke up for myself because I feel if you don't speak up for yourself, your voice will never be heard. And so there was a time where I was in a home care environment. And my home care provider was a vegan. And I didn't like vegan food. And I just said, I can't eat this stuff. It's not me. And I told my case manager at the time, I said, you've put me into a home that they're all vegan. And I can't eat. I'm not going to eat vegan food. I like regular food. And so I got to tell you when there's a situation that arrives in your life and you don't like it. I hope you can speak up for yourself or speak up for others because it is so important for others to listen to your voice. Oh, thanks, David. Thanks. David, do you have some questions about Kaden's collage? Yes. I'd like to know more about your collage and what's inspired in it for you? Wow. I was inspired in me because I went to the ocean and the clouds. And I see, like, the heart aprons. When we are, like, in the car or something, I see the heart aprons. So you think that you love, like the ocean, like being in different places, things that you love to do. Yeah. And dreams. I love. Your dream. Kaden is a big part of how the dream seekers got named the dream seekers. Yeah. She's on a mission. Do you want to ask Kaden any questions about her dreams? What are your dreams, Kaden? Would you like to be a self advocate and be part of Champlain Voices? I'm a dream. I don't really know at the moment. But do you like the idea that if you have dreams, you can seek them? Yeah. So you love that idea that one can have dreams. Yeah. Sometimes you don't, yeah, you don't know what they are yet. Do you want to ask him if David has had a dream that he has sought, that he went after? I have so many dreams. And dreams, they're important to keep because sometimes your dreams do come true. Like seeking a different job profession. I've always thought about that. I've been in food service for such a long, long time that I'd like to do something more meaningful in my life, more something that is more important to me. And that's working with self advocates. And I'm starting to do that. So seek your dream when you have a dream because dreams are important. Yeah. And I'll add, I mean, something that's happened in the work we've been doing in Champlain Voices. David, you were interested in, you know, you all being more at the table. And David invited a friend who's a researcher, kind of like Sephakor is a researcher. She's a doctor of study. And so this woman, Amanda Miller, is, I'm not sure exactly what her doctorate is in, but it's in disability studies. And David brought her in just to meet Champlain Voices. And now Champlain Voices are working on a research project. So they are the researchers, which means they are the ones at the table deciding what this project is. And so David, that was a dream I've been hearing you talk about, let's be at the table. And you don't always know how it's going to happen, but that's such a cool thing to see that it's happening. It's happening. So the project has a kind of a premier date where they're just going to talk a little bit about it, but it will be in a national conference online. Yeah, so our big thing is March 8th. March 8th at 2 p.m. a webinar. And I'm so excited. Yeah. It's just the tip of the iceberg. That's just the beginning. But if you didn't have this little dream to just keep you walking towards what's going to happen, because you don't know how it's all going to play out. Yeah. And it's a lot to take in. It can make you a little tired. Yeah. Shall we get the other dream seekers back? Yeah. Okay. So we're going to snap in the dream seeker. So, and we'll, yes, we'll snap you in and then we'll say a big goodbye to you, David. So, oh, yeah. So we're snapping you in. Hello, Dave. Hello, Dave. You just have to talk louder in the room so he can hear you. Hello, Dave. Hi. My name's Ryan. And I'm going to say a big, we've had a lovely time today, Dave. And with Ryan, thank you very much. But it's a thing. For dream seekers, I'm going to say a big, let's all wave. Thank you. Thanks for seeing. They're referring to one. Bye-bye, David. Bye, Dave. Bye, Dave. Thank you. Bye, senior. Bye, Dave. Bye-bye for my dream seekers, David. Bye-bye. Bye. And do you want to say goodbye to our audience? Goodbye to everyone. Bye. Everyone. What's up? We talked about it a little bit, but should we, should we acknowledge Gray? Yes. For a dream seeker. Here we go. Ray Sterling was a huge part of the lives. And I also want to say a big thank you to Ray Sterling because I'm going to miss him. Well, he's still with us. He's just, he's just not here today. All right. He's not here, not here today. But he's here on this, he's here with us. Put his hair on the screen. Today, I'm making some delightful artwork for us to share. So, good luck, Ray Sterling, from Ryan. Clara and Katie. From the dream seekers. Ready? Ready? From the dream seekers. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.