On Saturday, April 2, 2016, at 10:30 a.m., the LUISS Community Garden hosts a presentation of the Autistici & Giardinieri project, sponsored by LUISS and Associazione Insettopia Onlus, to mark World Autism Awareness Day.
The project, developed with support from the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the LUISS Community Garden, involves thirty autistic teens and adults in the care of the Viale Romania garden. Monitoring the multiple-month project is a research team that welcomes the participation of LUISS staff and students.
Participating in the presentation are LUISS General Manager Giovanni Lo Storto, Insettopia President Gianluca Nicoletti, General Director of the Department of Education, General Directorate for Students, Integration, Participation and Communication Giovanna Boda, and representatives of the Italian Association of Autism Research, of which LUISS Rector Massimo Egidi is the President of the Research Committee.
During the event, participants will get a chance to see backstage scenes from the first week of filming of a documentary on autism by LUISS students, followed by a visit of the LUISS Community Garden.
From 2:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m., presentation attendees can participate in a webinar on rehabilitation, research and legal problems related to autism, sponsored by Aira, Per noi autistici, LUISS e Centro Studi Erickson.
The webinar will also be transmitted live in streaming on the Edizioni Centro Studi Erickson YouTube channel, and welcomes questions from families and educators.
"This project with LUISS helps us make our first, but fundamental, step towards bringing families out of isolation, and encouraging them to manage autism with pride and determination," underlines Gianluca Nicoletti. "It represents a new and dynamic idea, that more closely resembles the launch of a startup than someone taking care of their own problem with a compassionate spirit."
"LUISS, as a center of education and research, interested in extending its reach and contact with society, can offer concrete support and a replicable model of real inclusion and developmental support, proving that even recreational activity can lead to important results," adds Giovanni Lo Storto.
The collaboration between LUISS and Insettopia is a result of the Community Garden presentation at Expo 2015, and the University's projects aimed at neighboring community initiatives for social inclusion.