Help me Celebrate my Aikido milestones!

Hello. My name is Clement. I practice Aikido (a traditional Japanese martial art), and also happen to be blind. Thank you for checking out this Go Fund Me!

15 years ago, I decided I wanted to get into martial arts. Not only have I loved the idea since I was a child, but martial arts have been something that not many blind people explored, and I wanted to challenge myself by trying something new. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy. Many dojos and clubs were, and still are, hesitant to teach a blind student, mostly due to lack of awareness, and I was told politely that many instructors didn't think it was possible, or that it wouldn't be safe. It wasn't until 5 years later I found a dojo that was willing to allow me to explore my full potential, and see what the possibilities were. Ten years later, I have reached some significant points that I never thought I would be able to achieve. I will have practiced a martial art steadily for the past decade, and in March will be given the opportunity to test for a blackbelt in Aikido, neither of which were things I would've thought possible.

This year also marks the 55th anniversary of my dojo's parent organization. Several members will be attending this special event in Japan, and my hope is to attend the event alongside them. Not only would it be my first time participating in a demonstration outside of Canada, but it would be an amazing way to celebrate these achievements, as well as an opportunity for me to show, in my own small way, that people who are blind, given the chance, can thrive as much as anyone else in a martial arts environment. And with my birthday being 10 days before the event, this would make for an incredible birthday memory! However, as I am unemployed, and the income assistance I receive from the government isn't enough to cover this trip, I am asking for your support.

I am asking for your support in reaching my goal of $3500 for this trip. Of this total, $1500 will be used for my flight, and the rest will be used for accomidations, training expenses, food, and any other use cases that may come up such as possible domestic travel within Japan. Thank you for reading my story, for checking out this fundraiser and for considering supporting me!