Autism Awareness Week Recap
In order to raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the academy spearheaded it’s first school-wide effort to celebrate Autism Awareness Week from the 26th March – 2nd April. There was a fabulous level of participation during the week, bolstered by a wide range of fun activities.
An Autism Awareness banner was produced, filled with students’ artwork from the previous week. As a symbol of unity and diversity, we encouraged as many people as possible to trace their hands and decorate them. This resulted in a wonderfully vibrant banner overlooking The Street area for the entire week with the images of hands forming a huge collage.
During brunch and lunch a stall was set up in the dedicated performance space in The Street, which was bustling with leaflets, books, posters and other informative resources regarding what ASD is and how it affects young people. Students were also able to experience an ASD sensory overload simulation and record their thoughts. This proved to be eye-opening for those who tried it, eliciting many conversations about autism and subsequently raising awareness of the disorder. The daily presentations/quizzes during tutor time allowed for some thought-provoking discussions. The academy also hosted an ASD parents/carers coffee morning where experiences and stories were shared in an informal, stimulating environment.
Our Student Inclusion Ambassador team were superb in their collaborative effort – volunteering to spend their break times on the stall selling raffle tickets, cakes (which they baked) and Autism Awareness Week wristbands. Jake, Armaan, Ebenezer, Chloe, Samali, Jahisha, Zaid, Saimah, Fathima and Zain deserve particular mentions for their hard work. It was great seeing so many wristbands being worn around the academy and there was a real enthusiasm to engage with the fundraising activities on offer.
Needless to say, the week was a huge success and we managed to raise £350 for the National Autistic Society.
A huge thank you to Ms Adams and Mr Hibbs for organising such an amazing event and a colossal thank you to all staff for their contributions and support.
