Brandon Fletcher

By TAMMY SKRDLANT
Hub Regional Editor

SHELTON - In Brandon Fletcher's perfect world, disabilities, disorders and race don't matter.

That perfect world has become a symbol for other youths who, like Fletcher, live with mental health, emotional or behavioral disorders.

Fletcher has pervasive development disorder related to autism, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is bipolar. In 2001, he founded Youth Encouraging Support, a monthly peer support group for ages 12 to 21. He is winner of the 2003 Freedom Award in the Youths Who Care Category. He will receive the award at the Freedom Awards banquet April 3.

The logo he designed for Y.E.S. shows aspects of a community - a school, city hall, church and recreation - in a circle supported by people of various colors and abilities.

"We are a community within a city itself. We don't care about your disability or your color or your race," Fletcher said. "This would be the perfect world."

Y.E.S. is a program of Families for Child Advocacy, Resources and Education in Kearney. The kick-off generated interest from people from throughout the 22 counties that Families CARE represents. The first chapter was established in Hastings in October 2001, and, after obtaining money from keno funds, a second started in Grand Island five months ago. Fletcher seeks funding to set up a Kearney chapter.

Those who attend have a variety of disorders, from ADHD to eating and behavioral disorders. Fletcher said he started Y.E.S. "so they have a place to belong without being judged. … I don't want what happened to me to happen again (to someone else)."

Fletcher's self-described roller coaster ride with his disorders began when he was diagnosed with ADHD shortly after kindergarten and with learning disabilities in the third grade. Kids bullied and teased him until in the sixth grade, he tried to kill himself.

Part of what frustrated Fletcher was that grownups were telling him - not asking him - what treatments were and were not working.

"He said, 'Nobody listens to me.' But I have to say he's right. He should have the right to be heard," said his mom, Brenda.

Brandon has told his story to organizations across the country, was a closing speaker at a mental health conference in Puerto Rico and articles about him have been published in national publications. Last fall, he was a consultant for a TV movie on Lifetime about a girl who tries to commit suicide and a boy who tries to prevent it.

Grand Island members Josh Lewis and Heather Meints said Y.E.S. has helped them better cope with their disorders.

"It's been easier knowing kids have disabilities like me," Lewis said. "We have different ways of coping with it."

Meints agreed: "You are not alone. People have the same problems as you. There are people out there who can listen to you."

Y.E.S. members volunteer around the community and serve on youth panels as requested. Panel participants tell their stories and answer questions. Upcoming panels will include April 5 at the District 1 Nebraska Food Service Workers Conference at Wilbur-Clatonia.

The group's most recent project is a cake wall. The wall is for members to display their achievements and talents.

Hastings member David Wells of Glenvil came up with the idea and the name. The wall is not made of cake. But, as with mental health issues, something or someone is not always as it seems.

"Their biggest goal is to be treated like everybody else," Fletcher said.

At a recent Y.E.S. meeting in Grand Island, participants were divided into groups and given 50 toothpicks and 50 gummy bears. Their only instructions were to build a structure using the items. The goal was to finish first, but all the toothpicks and gummy bears had to be used.

Each group followed the directions and came up with unique sculptures. One group ate all but a few gummy bears and stuck toothpicks in the remaining candy. The other two groups assumed that was against the rules.

"People look at the same pretty vague rules, and they make assumptions," Brenda said. In the same manner, some people characterize bipolar people as crazy, the depressed as suicidal and the learning disabled as dumb.

Y.E.S. has a mailing list of 80 people, but 12 or so attend each meeting, said Brenda, youth coordinator for Families CARE.

"Some people you only see once, some you see every week," she said. Y.E.S. has a "no eject, no reject" policy, which means participants can't be thrown out of a meeting.

e-mail to:
tammy.skrdlant@kearneyhub.com