Our amazing Autism Activists have put together an animated video (above) giving an insight into how they see the world to mark the start of Autism Acceptance Week.

James, Will, Molly and Ed, aged 9-17, used self-portraits and interviews to talk about friendship, creativity, bullying ... and what they would do if they ruled the world!

The Autism Activists met once a fortnight in Stanley, County Durham, for 12 weeks to work out how to share their voice using creative methods. They worked with family development manager Kerrie Highcock and animator Graeme Patterson.

Graeme says: “What came out of the conversations during the workshops was how strong their individual voices and characters were.

It was important that the video celebrated their differences and gave an insight into who they are and the way they engage with the world.

Kerrie added: “Autistic young people’s voices are often underrepresented. But how do we change society if we don’t listen to people with lived experience?”

In their feedback, the youngsters wrote how the project helped them. Molly said: “It just made me happy”, while Will wrote: “It showed me my perceptions are as valuable as other people’s.”

Help our Autism Activists win an award!

The group of nine to 18-year-olds’ are ‘over the moon’ that their film has reached the finals of the Smiley Charity Film Awards, alongside entries from national charities such as Samaritans and Dementia UK. 

A panel of judges will score the films to decide a winner, but the public can also vote for the film to win a People’s Choice award, with polls opening on Valentines Day, 14^th February.

Click here to vote