Thurstin on the news again


2 days left to get there can we do it???? I sure hope so, stil so far to go
So we are getting close the the end of the Project although things don't like so pozible on the tally, we are still feeling really positive about reaching target.
The community has been amazingly supportive and its obvious we need more support.

Who is Thurstin?
Thurstin is 14 year old young man who has an exceptional talent for photography and writing. Industry professionals have described his work as organic, unique, insightful, inspiring, a natural talent, exquisite and much more. After picking up a DSLR at 11 years old Thurstins profile as an artist has seen him feature as a profile artist for Perth's propel youth arts magazine, finalist for W.A. Young person of the year 2012 (this included his environmental work and environmental photography), he featured at Perth's institute for contemporary arts (PICA) as a young innovator, bright spark and was nominated for an International Naturally Autistic Award 2012. He is also an amazing writer and will see his first story published next month in the Australian Autism Aspergers Network Magazine.

Thurstin has Aspergers Syndrome, an autism spectrum condition. He has again been nominated for an Internationally Naturally Autistic award and selected to represent youth arts and the Australian autism community in Canada at the International Naturally Autistic® People Awards Convention and Festival Naturally Autistic® ANCA® (The website is below if you know anyone on the Autism Spectrum doing amazing things be sure to nominate them for next year). It is a very exciting opportunity .

Our project aims to encourage 1400 people to donate $10 each to raise the $14000 required to cover airfares, accommodation and incidentals. It's so 'doable'.

We are also working on applying for sponsorship through the Autism and arts communities, local and state government, airlines and community organisations. The ANCA founders are assisting in this process. Quiz Meisters Trivia Events have been kind enough to Host a trivia event for our campain on the 11th of August at Victoria Street Bowling Club East Ballarat from 2pm til 5.30pm. More details will be posted here and on our facebook page. (Link Below).

Evidence that this project can come to fruition is not possible but as any parent knows once you commit to ensuring your child's dream can happen, there is no failure!

What does all this mean to Thurstin?
Here's an letter Thurstin wrote for the very Amazing Yum Studios. http://www.yumstudio.com.au/blog/entry/meet-thurstin

thank you for your very generous donation to my pozible campaign. I have been very humbled by all of the support I have been receiving by the community on various levels since beginning the campaign. I had no idea community could be so supportive.

Getting 1400 people to donate $10 each is much harder than I had thought, it is still early in the process.

I still see myself as a kid with a camera and my only real talent isn't a talent but an observant nature. I see all the beauty and wonder in nature. I merely capture that, that which is already beautiful in the world.

My photos are beautiful or the like because the subjects are beautiful. It is nature, our planet, a place we destroy too easily when we should be nurturing, loving, protecting and absorbing every spectacular wonder of science and beyond.

Each step of recognition has been simply amazing. I was a finalist last year in the W.A. youth awards as an environmental finalist rather than arts. I was taking photos to draw attention to the local ecology around the area where we lived. I was struck by the excessive rubbish in the ocean, whilst working at the environment centre there a turtle died from swallowing plastic.

I spent many hours cleaning the beaches to stop this happening to more animals and educated people along the way. At the youth awards there were some of the most inspiring and passionate people I have ever met. These young people were doing so much within their communities, I felt completely humbled, inspired and so much more. When some of these people were congratulating me and speaking highly of the work I had done I was blown away.

It really inspired me to do more for the things I care about, one of these things is Autism/Aspergers.

My early years were so very difficult and painful. Elements of Aspergers are very difficult to manage. Sometimes even debilitating. Because Aspergers is neurological you do not grow out of it, it does not go away or get cured. You learn to manage better and in some cases the brain rewires itself to adjust neurological dysfunction.

One of the amazing things about going to Canada is sharing my story of how life went from being quite traumatic and difficult to being quite amazing. How I overcame many of the issues I had through being supported, understood and encouraged. That despite having various challenges with every day life Aspergers is not a disability to me but something that merely means i experience the world differently.

There is a lot of young people who have the same experiences I have had and I like that I have the chance to give them hope.

Yesterday I received a reply from a father who had been kind enough to support me. I had written to thank him. His reply was one of the moments of life that makes it all worth it. He said he had an 8 year old son who has Autism and he was glad his son could have role models like myself. Which is such a beautiful thing for another to say.

Inclusion is something lots of children with Aspergers do not experience.

It's lonely, the classroom almost as isolating as the playground, missing all the social information that is so easy for most other people. This year is the first year I have not felt exclusion. I am just a regular kid mostly that happens to have Aspergers syndrome. If I knew somebody like myself at any age between 5 and 11 I would have been so happy. To see a person with Aspergers just being themselves and being accepted.

I would also have to say being 14 and having the chance to go overseas is very exciting.

I think however the greatest achievement of going to Canada is to bring to the international platform some of the amazing things being achieved in Australia not just in Autism but youth arts. I am not especially patriotic but I am proud to represent these communities of the country I live in. And most of all I know I would do these communities proud whilst there.

In the pozible process I have learnt a lot in the first two weeks. I have learned mostly about how amazing my community is and how wonderful it feels to have people you know, and strangers, believe in you and want to see something amazing happen for you.

If I do or do not get to Canada, this experience has been wonderful and I am so very very grateful.

Thank you again. Thurstin

He is a pretty amazing kid. There is a lot to Thurstin's story and the incredible things he has had to overcome. As a parent seeing him rise above some painful experiences including the death of his father 5 years ago in tragic circumstances, extreme bullying and more. I am not just proud but inspired to be a better person everyday because of the person he is. If there was ever a person who deserves such a great opportunity, Thurstin is it.

His journey to over come some of the difficulties a person with Aspergers Syndrome experiences through sensory processing disorder, social issues, communication issues, dyspraxia and dygraphia, short term auditory memory issues and most specifically anxiety has been incredible. The little boy the world said couldn't... IS..
He would love to reach out and touch people through this international forum and the ANCA awards to show them they can to. They can achieve, aspire and inspire. Its not easy but possible. Its so easy to be trapped inside the disability and not celebrate the ability, the later has been Thurstins greatest strength.

And lastly, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a young man. And its so beautiful that through options such as crowd funding that this opportunity maybe gifted.

Thurstin in the media

Thurstin in the paper. Blue hair.. He dyed it blue for Autism Awareness month.
http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/1615421/thurstin-snaps-up-trip-to-canada-autism-forum/

Thurstin on the Win News https://www.dropbox.com/s/8db87usf7ujvkxk/VIDEO0007.mp4
We would like to Thanks Redbrick Gallery for being supportive of Thurstin and allowing him to be part of the group exhibitons and bring the news crew in. The exhibition on the news is one from the local Ballarat University Arts Students, Art Society.

I had the pleasure of having a chat on real people ASD radio with the fabulous Beck Kelly, Beck does amazing work for the Autism Community.

http://phoenixfmbendigo.podomatic.com/entry/2013-06-29T20_30_55-07_00



Our facebook page and for those of you who want to check out more of Thurstins work.
http://www.facebook.com/letsgetthurstintocanada?fref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thurstin-Lakerink-Photography/125908524184008

This is a photo Thurstin took of the great Perth Band Dave Foley and The straight legged freaks.

.



Thurstin is really passionate about penguins. South of Perth is Penguin Island a protected colony of little penguins. Sadly the water sports including fishing vessels and jet skis etc are killing the penguins in large numbers cutting them with propellers and breaking their backs. Thurstin did a series of photos to draw attention to the need to take care around the island and respect the protected zones.
He was also very passionate about ensuring people knew the plastic and rubbish left on the beaches we also killing a number of endangered species.

This is one flip a loggerhead turtle who was taken to a rescue program at Rockingham Environment Centre. He has now been rehabilitated and returned to his natural environment.

Shortly after purchasing the SLR Thurstin and I experiemented with sports Photography at the famous kite boarding spot at Safety Bay. His photos of the kite boarders were amazing. Sports photography is very challanging but Thurstins natural eye and skill produced incredible results.

Matt Gresham from X Factor. At a fundraiser for the Rockingham Environment Centre.

These little damselflies are so fast. Thurstin with just an 18 to 55 mm lens was able to capture these with ease. He says its like the insects and animals pose for him so he can get close enough to take these picture. He has a special ability to connect with wildlife.

25/6/13 There is loads of reason why Thurstin deserves your support to help make it to Canada. I will regularly update this space with reasons. The first one is that he has such a great sense of humour, almost as literal as it gets, he makes me smile through all of lifes ups and downs. This is some of the examples of the cards he makes and sells

The only obstacles is reaching the total and getting the community to support our campaign.