Inclusive ceramic workshop.

From a medical standpoint, autism is a mental development disorder with unclear etiology (cause of origin)

In everyday terms, autism is a special condition where a person usually has preserved intelligence but experiences great difficulties with communication and socialization.

As a result, they face a number of problems:

• huge communication deficit;
• personal lack of demand;
• unrealized potential;
• complete exclusion from the system of social relationships;
• unemployment;
• isolation;
• depression, suicidal moods;
• high risk of ending up in a psycho-neurological institution after the death of parents or other guardians.

These problems traumatize and further disable a person who under more favorable conditions could live a full life and be useful to society.

Considering that the number of people with autism is steadily growing each year, we are approaching a humanitarian catastrophe, with a decline in quality of life for many people, as hostages of autism become not only people with autism, but also their families.

Also a big problem is low public awareness about the problem of autism and specific behavior of people with autism, which generates fear, pity and as a consequence rejection and avoidance.

Unfortunately, all this can hardly be called a healthy inclusive society, which we should strive to create.

Therefore, we, parents of children with autism, created the non-profit public organization "Autism. Step Forward" and in 2019 opened social sewing and creative workshops "Special Workshops. Everyone Matters" for children and adults with autism, having raised the necessary sum for equipment on the "My City" platform.

Now we see that the project "Special Workshops. Everyone Matters" must expand and grow, since in its current form it cannot satisfy the needs of people with autism.

Therefore we are opening fundraising again - for opening an inclusive ceramic workshop that all residents of our city can visit regardless of having/not having a diagnosis.

The inclusive ceramic workshop is needed to:

• give adults with autism and other mental features the opportunity to learn and work;
• provide children with mental disabilities the opportunity to engage regularly and for free in the ceramic workshop;
• increase tolerance levels toward mental disability;
• create an inclusive society.

At this stage, we already have an initiative and strong team that managed to implement the sewing and creative workshop project. Each member of our team believes in the common cause and works on a voluntary basis.

Together we organized and conducted:

• in December 2018 a Charitable Christmas Fair where we raised over 6000 hryvnias for repair of the sewing workshop premises;
• on March 2, 2019 a Big Charitable Family Party, where we gave children with autism the opportunity to experience a real party and raised 9375 hryvnias for premises repair and the possibility to pay for an experience exchange trip to existing successful workshops;
• on April 2, 2019 for autism awareness day, an educational project at 4City - photo exhibition "Special Happiness?";
• in April 2019 opened a crowdfunding campaign for sewing workshop equipment on the "My City" platform, for 20000, which we closed in 10 days;
• in October 2019 opened the sewing workshop (and with it creative and communication club, taking turns in one room);
• by February 2020 taught teenagers and adults with autism to sew with partial or minimal support;
• by March 2020 started sewing eco bags and shoppers for sale and created a store torba4dobra on social networks, where we immediately sold the entire existing assortment and received repeat orders;
• in April 2020 won a competition from the International Renaissance Foundation for co-financing the ceramic workshop, which will equal the amount raised through crowdfunding on the "My City" platform
• on July 4 and 5 participated in Gescheft Garage Sale, where we successfully presented the project to the city.

We have done much ourselves, but without society's support we wouldn't have managed.

And we ask you to support our project once more. A project whose goal is creating a tolerant inclusive society and providing people with autism the opportunity to work, live full lives and feel truly needed.

Support us. Let's together create a world where there will be a place for everyone.

The raised amount will be doubled by the International Renaissance Foundation.

P.S. photos used from the inclusive workshop "Simple Things" and workshop "Special Workshops. Everyone Matters".