Keynote speaker Lee Reeves spoke of his own journey with stuttering and how it had been enriched by helping other people who stutter with their own journeys.

"What we do here is powerful and incredibly important - personal journeys, self-help, support journeys and transformation. We need to communicate this to people" Lee Reeves

"We are all on a journey," said keynote speaker Lee Reeves. He described the highs and lows of his own journey and some of the things that sustained him when younger, and that sustain him today. In 1982 he started a self-help group in his native Texas - a group he is still involved with today, after more than 20 years, and as the co-chair of the National Stuttering Association of America.

At one point, he described how the once large group had shrunk to just two people - Lee and a friend. This friend was one of the quieter members of the group who attended almost every meeting, but never said much. As Lee was asking whether it was worth keeping the group going, or whether it should close, his friend said: "well, I get a lot out of it". So Lee kept the group going, and new people joined up.

Lee gave ten pillars of wisdom for those who stammer.

1.Stammering is not your own, or anyone else's fault.

2.Others can help us, but we have to make the changes and 'fix ourselves'.

3.We must find a way to not be afraid to look inside ourselves.

4.You are not alone and do not need to everything on your own.

5.Make a clear decision to change, and a teacher, or someone important who can help will appear.

6.Every person's story is important. Having a safe place to tell it is the beginning of healing.

7.Be yourself. If you are not yourself, it will eventually catch up with you.

8.Move on in life or get bored - without challenge and change we will wither.

9.If what you do helps one other person, it is enough.

10.We are stronger together rather than as separate individuals.

BSA Conference 2004