My wife asked me to read her speech for her tonight because she has a fear of public speaking, and it was interfering with the rest of our lives. With this stress off her mind, it was easier for her to focus on the importance of what she wanted to say instead of how hard it was going to be to say it.

       She is 22 years old, a submissive, and she has been active in this community since we moved to North Carolina in early 2010.

       Many of the groups that we've come in contact with over the past year and a half don't allow anyone under 21 to attend or be a part of their group. This happens for various reasons, ranging from the presence of alcohol at parties to a belief that younger people are more likely to cause problems in the group due to immaturity issues.

      These young people need a place in the community just as much as the rest of us. My wife was wearing a collar in high school, before she even knew what collaring was. She knew what she was and what she wanted from her life and her relationships before she knew "what she wanted to be when she grew up". If these young people are anything close to as determined as she was, (and you know most of us can be pretty stubborn when we're trying to get what we want) they're going to get their fetish fix from somewhere, even if it's not from us. (*) (prefer) "They need this, and they're going to get it somewhere, even if it's not from us(*)

      The problem is, they aren't just learning how to be a part of this community, they're learning how to be a part of society in general, too. Their attention is divided, and they don't pay as much attention to safety as they should. These young people need us to keep an eye out for them, because they won't be doing it, and we know what to look for.
    The thing that these young men and women need is a place in the community, and a mentor. They need guidance and support from their peers. They need to know how to safely interact with this community, because lets face it, we have our predators, too. (*) because it's not the same as the rest of sociey- if they don't know what they're getting into, they could get hurt. (*)
    We need to keep an eye out for these young people, and try to find them early so that we can offer help, the wrong sort are already looking for them.

These people need to know that there is a large group of people out there who think like they do - they're not freaks, and they're not alone. These young, submissive girls need to know that the one dominant-type person they've found isn't their only option, and they need someone to tell them, "It's OK that you want this, but this is how you do it safely."

This is very important to her, because maybe if someone had noticed her, when she was younger, and told her that she wasn't bad, or a horrible person for what she wanted, maybe if she had the support of a community, or just someone who understood her, a mentor, things would have been easier. If she'd had the wisdom of an older more experienced lifestyler, then some really difficult things could have been avoided.

We need to say to these people, "you know, I've been watching you, and I just want to let you know that there are safer ways to go out and find what you're looking for. There are other people who can help you take care of your needs, and there are ways to make sure that it's safe to do." It's our responsibility to step up, step out and help protect the people who become victims the most often, even if they don't know they need it.

Thank you for your time.