Just Stand By Me

Working In Together In Groups

ISBN: 978-1-7923-3046-9
By: Wills, Fred

ABOUT THE BOOK

Just Stand By Me, Working Together In Groups is the third in a series of books focused on self awareness using social and emptional tools focused on helping the people learn new ways to work together, feel good about themselves and have fun along the way.  This series attempts to address very sensitive and challenging subjects and is designed as a tool to be read with parents, teachers or others and followed up with intermitent germaine discussions alone the way about the material read in order to exspand our message. We realize that sometimes people have difficulty working with others in a groups and those feelings of being shy or awkward with people are really hard to overcome.  We also know that it’s a fact that when people isolate themselves from others, it’s just not healthy. A sense of belonging to a larger group makes people feel safe in an environment where learning and problems solving can take place.  Without that sense of security people are left in a very dark and scary place where feeling frightened and alone prevent anything from getting done.  This is a place where there is very little room for learning or positive change.  We are committed to turning on the switch and enlighhtening the room.  Providing an option that empowers us all.  Every single person in a group brings something unique and special to that experience, which makes that group better and complete, that includes you.  In order to be apart of a working group realistic and accepted rules must be set and followed in  order for a safe and structired environment to exist.  This significatly improves the changes for positive outcome.  Subsequently, the group produces positive and worthwhile results that are good for the community and everyone wins.   Working with others developing positive relationship makes people feel good about themselves and the people around them.  Trust of others is key and the first step to developing personal reationships.  If I do it for them, I trust they’ll help me when I need it. Setting acheivable goals and meeting them because everyone is working together and watching out for each other and that adds to a feeling of acheivement and success.  Positive self esteem promotes good decision making and a certain mindfullness about what we do and how it effects others.   Just Stand By Me helps us look at the important ways that working together with others in groups can help us to find new and exciting solutions to many challenging issues, make friends and improve our sense of self. Take a chance and find out how working together is fun and has a lot of extraordinary things to offer.  We understand it’s hard, but Just Jessica will help us along the way to explore how people working together provides us all with many new ideas and plenty to ways to talk, share and grow with each other.  Don’t feel alone, be a part of our group!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fred Wills

Fred Wills is a self trained free lance artist and illustrator who has created both personal and commercial artwork on a broad range of topics and in a variety of media. Fred's insight and personal touch has its roots from his lengthy and successful career as a registered nurse for almost 40 years. Fred's life mission has centered on helping and caring for persons who often feel different and outcast. As a nurse, Fred has worked extensively with acquired brain injury clients, the developmentally challenged and persons with serious and persistent mental illness. Whether in a hospital setting or a home, Fred has held the hands of family members, comforted those in despair and taught new ways of coping to those who are anxious and afraid. Working with people in emotional pain across many spectrums has allowed Fred to acquire the knowledge that we all share so much in common and differ so very little. Fred's unique perspective, sense of humor, and gift as an illustrator prompt him to raise delicate questions and create provocative works of art. Growing up in a large family and being himself a father of five, Fred feels he has been provided with an abundance of hilarious material. Daily cartoons for his children about family life and growing up are often found plastered across the refrigerator door. These cartoons continue to motivate his family as they take on the world each day. In 1999, Fred and his wife Debi were blessed with the birth of their youngest child, Jessica May Wills. Jessica was born with Down Syndrome. After this life changing event Fred began to focus his special perspective on the development of a specific cartoon character, Just Jessica. The inspiration to create this character came from a simple comment his daughter made, "I want to be known as Jessica, not Jessica with Down Syndrome, just Jessica." The character Just Jessica was born and the journey began. Soon the crude drawings that were taped to the refrigerator evolved into something more refined and Just Jessica took on a life of its own. The advent of electronic illustration tools and the growth of social media allowed the character's message to be shared with a larger audience. Just Jessica soon went viral and there was an explosion of media attention, justjessica.org was born and a following of thousands of fans around the globe couldn't get enough of Just Jessica.