Since creating the I CAN Network eight years ago, the most common thing I have heard Autistic young people, parents and teachers observe from the I CAN program was the realisation it had given young people that they were not alone. 

This Autistic Pride Day on Friday 18 June there remains no end to our determination to ensure Autistic young people don’t feel alone. Thank you for the belief you continue to have in us. Your encouragement has driven us to grow to the point where we employ 62 Autistic staff and mentor over 2,000 neurodivergent young people.  

To mark Autistic Pride Day we invite you to support our "I AM NOT ALONE" 2021 Tax Appeal Campaign. Every $45 donation helps cover the place of one young person in an I CAN group mentoring session. Our mentoring sessions build the confidence of Autistic/ neurodivergent young people by immersing them in an environment of safety, trust and belief. 

Here’s how our team and supporters will be marking Autistic Pride Day this week:

I CAN Schools: Our I CAN School programs will be focusing I CAN high school mentoring sessions on Autistic Pride to nurture the self-esteem and positive identity of Autistic and neurodivergent students in the schools we partner with.

I CAN Queensland: Our Queensland team will be hosting an exhibit at the Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders - QASEL Conference June 16th - 18th.
 

I CAN Online: I CAN Mentors Sam Rose & Christian Tsoutsouvas are joining Shadia Hancock and Shianne Downward at 11:15am for a panel discussion on being Autistic and LGBTIQA+ at the Intersection Identities Symposium sponsored by Reframing Autism & The Autistic Realm Australia (TARA). You can also chat to Sam Rose at our virtual booth. Buy Tickets Here. - June 18th.

You can also celebrate Autistic Pride Day with us by sharing our tip sheets with young people, allied health providers and schools.

Some of our young people are ‘out and proud’ about their Autistic identity  - and it is very exciting to see the impact they are having in changing the narrative on Autism.

Quite often, though, we see young people who are still grappling to see themselves or view Autism in a positive light. They have internalised the negative perceptions of others. For these young people, a first step forward might be starting to identify their own strengths - or feeling confident enough to share with a friend that they are Autistic. All of these actions - big and small - have a positive ripple effect.

We Autistic mentors, along with other adults of influence, can play a significant role in helping nurture self-esteem and pride in our Autistic young people, no matter where they are in their respective journeys. 

Our team has put together some valuable resources, including:

1) Tips for Nurturing Self-Esteem & Pride in Autistic Young People. This tip sheet and the recommended resources are designed for parents/carers, teachers and other adults of influence in a young person’s life. Download here.

2)  Always Remember: Important Reminders & Resources For Our Younger Autistic Peers is a tip sheet that Autistic young adults on our team developed for their younger Autistic peers. Download here.

3)  Tips and Resources for Autistic-LGBTIQA+ young people and the adults who support them can be found on our dedicated website page, along with more information about our peer-led online mentoring group for Autistic-LGBTIQA+ teens and our leadership in this critical intersectional space. Download the related tip sheet here. 

4)  Respectful Resources About Autism For Autistic Young People and Their Peers. This list includes some of our favourite Autistic-led resources that can help Autistic young people and their peers develop a more accurate, respectful view of Autism. Access here.