“Going the Distance” Event Review: Star Squad August Outing at Drive Shack in West Palm
- Jeffrey Snyder
- Aug 29, 2024
- 3 min read
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Something that you may never have noticed about me in that over 20 years ago, I helped found a hangout for neurodivergent teens and adults with the help of my psychologist of 21 years. Now, 21 years later, I am revitalizing the concept this time in Boca Raton, Florida. The Star Squad consists largely of the former junior board of Unicorn Children’s Foundation and rather than doing board related activities, we instead focus largely on social events in and around the West Palm Beach area whether it’s in Boca Raton or as far north as Jupiter.
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On Saturday August 17th, 2024, the Star Squad held it’s August outing at the Drive Shack Golf Driving Range in West Palm Beach, FL not far from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). But this wasn’t just any other group outing for individuals with developmental differences. While the activity was meant to cater to our members, it also serves as a training ground for social activity.
When I say a training ground for social activity, I am referring to the fact that at the outings, our members practice social skills such as taking turns, communicating with one another and gaining an understanding of the surroundings that they are in. In the Star Squad, members train on their skills that they will use not just on these outings, but also in other environments like the workforce.
The behaviors that are demonstrated by our members are also demonstrated in a workplace environment such as being open minded and willing to let others make choices that are good for the job. There was a moment where two of our members were not demonstrating this and that they were coached as a result.
This example goes to show that while the individuals may have gotten a reprimand, in the workplace, they would have been suspended or even terminated for creating an unsafe work environment. This is because in the workplace and in educational settings, everyone is going to get a chance to make their mark and that there is no “I” in team.
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Another factor that goes into the Star Squad is that it’s not just social skills that we have our members practice, but also how to manage money and being responsible for paying for your own food. This was further demonstrated when each member was tasked with bringing their own money to contribute to the overall bill of the food.
Now, we all have to exhibit some level of social skills at some point and what made the teen and adult hangouts so successful when I founded them 20 years ago was the fact that attendees socialize and practice skills within a set time limit. Even going for the entire 2-hour outing (as it was in this case) is an accomplishment in itself because we can’t be spending the entirety of our lives couped up in the house all day.
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Now, I’m sure you are also wondering what other types of outings that Star Squad hosts as we go forward. Looking into the future, I can see that Star Squad will be similar to the old teen and adult hangouts that I founded where members practice their social skills under the supervision of my former board president and myself. Some of these future outings will take place at locations such as movie theaters, Painting with a Twist, community events, etc. and more details will be announced in due time.
So, stay tuned to “Going the Distance” for future updates!!
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Catch you all later!!
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