The local autistic community has been given a positive change through the 'Life' project which has helped young autistic children become more confident and transform their direction in life. The project started in 2020 and has been a source of community support.
The Centre for Life (Life) in Newcastle has won an international award in recognition of its innovative work with autistic communities. Life received one of only two Mariano Gago Awards at the Ecsite ceremony in Heilbronn, Germany (June 2nd).
The Award recognises the partnership between Life and the North East Autism Society (NEAS) and their online support to the autistic community during the Covid 19 pandemic. What started as a small Facebook group known as E=MC2, involving just six families, grew into a mass online programme with an audience of over 13,000.
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Life worked with colleagues from NEAS to create short videos showing accessible science demonstrations such as how to make a balloon-powered mini-car and experiments with chocolate. As interest grew, this developed into a sustained programme of videos and weekly Zoom chats which attracted increasing engagement.
Michelle, a parent of Joella, an autistic child said: “At the start (of the Life project) she was this shy girl, getting anxiety attacks coming off my knee, now she’s grown so much. During COVID the weekly catch-ups were so important.
"It boosted her confidence and changed the direction of her life. It’s something she has ownership of. She didn’t do anything extracurricular before but now she can talk about this and own it.”
“This little group has been a huge part of our lives, especially how much Joella has flourished within it. Her transformation over the past four years has been immense."
Another parent, Jess, the parent of Josh who has autism added: “He’s grown so much. He’s never stuck at anything so the fact he stuck with this says everything. It’s such a supportive family.
“Thank you for bringing our group together. Your vision has not only helped the centre for life, its staff, and the general public gain a better understanding of what our children go through daily. You have taught me so much more about my son.
"Joshua has rarely stuck at anything but with this chance he has. He has truly adored every moment, you will be cherished in our hearts always."
David Jones, Community Liaison Manager at Life, said: “By the time the pandemic hit, Life had already forged deep bonds with the local autistic community, and this relationship provided much-needed structure, support, and a sense of community for families during this difficult time.”
John Phillipson, Chief Executive of NEAS said: "It’s brilliant to work with people who are committed to making a positive difference in the lives of autistic people. We could never have imagined where the journey would take us when we started out four years ago.”
To view the work the Life Centre and NEAS do you can visit here
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