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YouthASD

YouthASD – Upskilling youth organizations for the inclusion of people with ASD

An Erasmus+ project aiming to contribute to the inclusion of young people with ASD in youth activities.

Grant Agreement Number: KA220-YOU-2021-029

Funded by: Erasmus+        Duration: 01/04/2022 – 01/04/2024   


Challenge

Active participation in community and social activities is beneficial for a young person’s health and development, including those living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A number of studies (Orsmond, G.I., et al., 2013; Billstedt, E., et al., 2011; Robertson, S.M., 2010; Renty, J.O. & Roeyers, H., 2006) have shown the importance of social participation of youth with ASD and its strong correlation with improved quality of life. These studies highlight the negative impact of social isolation and lack of community integration for those youth, emphasizing the need for more social support resources.

Yet so far, inclusion programmes have been primarily focused on young people with physical disabilities and little attention is directed to people with ASD and their inclusion in youth and integration initiatives. At the same time, there is a noticeable lack of courses and resources for youth organizations and youth workers on ASD and how to include young people with ASD in their activities. In order to tackle this issue, there is a high need for the upskilling of local and community youth organizations, so they can include youth with ASD in their initiatives and match their services with this need to support the psychosocial development and independence of people with ASD.

Innovation

The Youth ASD project aims to contribute to the inclusion of young people with ASD in youth activities, by equipping youth workers and organizations with a new, innovative and accessible learning opportunity in order to develop programs that can accept people with ASD.

Action

Project partners will develop a Guide for youth organizations on the organizational structures they need to put in place and the strategies they can implement to attract, include and safely integrate young people with autism spectrum disorders in their activities.

A methodology and training program will be developed for youth workers interested in creating inclusive environments in their work for young people with ASD. It will address their need for specialized knowledge and further professional development.

Partners will organize youth programs in each participating country, which will include neurotypical and ASDyouth. In total 15 young people with ASD will take part in these pilot youth activities.

This activity includes the development of online resources for youth organizations and youth workers on how to practically include young people with ASD in their activities. The platform of the project will serve a dual purpose; on the one hand it will act as an e-learning platform for youth workers to follow the project training program, on the other hand the platform will offer online resources for youth organizations, such as templates and guidelines.

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European Commission’s support for the production of this content does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Project Partners

KMOP – Social Action and Innovation Centre
CARDET (Cyprus)
SOSU Ostjylland (Denmark)
Anziani e Non Solo (Italy)
Fundació Mira’m (Spain)

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