ACN NOTICEBOARD
NEWS / EVENTS / UPDATES
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ACN NEWS AND EVENTS
WELCOME TO OUR NEW EXCUTIVE OFFICER
As ACN continues to grow, we are thrilled to welcome Briana Blackett to the newly created position of Executive Officer (Deputy CEO) for the ACN. Bri has been a long-time volunteer with ACN and along with being a parent of two children on the spectrum, brings with her extensive experience in management, autism advocacy and media fields. Bri will take on the day-to-day operations of the organisation and work with CEO Steve to balance the new growth projects we are involved in. We look forward to more exciting times ahead
As ACN continues to grow, we are thrilled to welcome Briana Blackett to the newly created position of Executive Officer (Deputy CEO) for the ACN. Bri has been a long-time volunteer with ACN and along with being a parent of two children on the spectrum, brings with her extensive experience in management, autism advocacy and media fields. Bri will take on the day-to-day operations of the organisation and work with CEO Steve to balance the new growth projects we are involved in. We look forward to more exciting times ahead
BULLY PROOF TAWKWONDO RETURNS TO ST.GEORGE IN JUNE
We are pleased to announce that thanks to funding by Club Rivers, ACN will once again provide our amazing Bully Proof Kids 12-week Taekwondo program. This will be the 7th year we run it, with kids on the spectrum being taught ways to stay safe while increasing fitness and coordination and having a lot of fun. There is no fighting involved. Registrations will be opened soon for 15 children to participate. RICHMOND SUPPORT GROUP STARTING THIS MONTH
Thanks to a wonderful local carer, Annette, stepping up, we are able to bring back our support groups for carers in the Hawkesbury region. The group will run on the second Tuesday each month from 10 am to noon at the Richmond Club. BELLAMBI SUPPORT GROUP RETURNS THIS MONTH
We are pleased to bring back our carers support group for the Wollongong region, starting from this month. Our Bellambie Support Group will run on the Second and Fourth Tuesdays 10 am to noon, at the Bellambi Neighbourhood Centre - 49A Cawley St, Bellambi. 
THE A-LIST IS COMING
The need for young people on the autism spectrum to form social connections is enormous and yet their options are so limited. 44% of young people on the spectrum cannot make friends outside of their families and 66% do not spend time outside of school with friends. The ACN is delighted to announce that we have partnered with MyCareSpace, Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO), and Autism Aspergers Advocacy Australia to build an online hub that will help young people with autism find more social options in their local area. The A-List will be funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services with a $1 million ILC Grant. We invite anyone in the community who is passionate about making an impact on the lives of young people with autism to stay up to date on our journey. Watch the video: https://lnkd.in/gw7RCGX Official Press Release: https://lnkd.in/gG-3PTq Get Involved: https://lnkd.in/gWuWQhZ 
AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH – SCHOOLS AWARENESS
April is World Autism Awareness Month. Each year, ACN invites every government primary school in NSW to get involved by holding a special event. Please approach your school to have a look at this opportunity to educate their students on how to be more inclusive and aware. This year, we provide a free presentation on inclusion, info on local support available, and the brand new Inclusion animation offered by our partner organisation Autism Mates, “Timmy The Turtle” to all schools to add to their resources on inclusion. Full details are via the School Resources icon on our website. www.autismcommunity.org.au 
JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR PERSON ON THE SPECTRUM
Are you a young autistic person or a person with lived experience, who is great at researching topics AND loves talking to people? If so, then this might be the role for you. ACN partner MyCareSpace is looking for a customer service and data researcher to join its growing team as we start an exciting new project called the A-List. MyCareSpace is leading the A-List, a project funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services that will help young autistic people, between the ages of 7 and 24 years to develop their social goals and find social options. These may include sport, art, music or gaming. Or how about hiking, adventures, animals and horses? We are hoping to find something for everyone! The A-List will be built with the help of young autistic people for young autistic people. This is your chance to use your lived experience to impact the lives of your peers. We are looking for someone to join us now, in a role with real meaning, doing something that has never been done before - building a one-stop shop for all things autistic and social! To learn more about the role and how to apply, please go to https://mycarespace.com.au/resources/provider-engagement-for-the-a-list ZOOM SOCIAL CLUBS ARE BACK
Our online social clubs for youth and young adults are back for another year. The following groups will be provided from 4 to 5 pm on the following days each week. Mondays - Movie Club, Tuesdays - Music Club, Wednesdays – Quiz Club, Thursdays – Young Adults Club, Fridays – Youth Club. For links and more details on all these groups please see https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/zoom-clubs.html ZOOM CLUB SUPERVISORS WANTED
Are you able to oversee a young facilitator on the spectrum for one hour a week online? ACN is proud to provide opportunities for our young adults to build skills running groups online, but we will continue to support them in the background. If you can offer an hour for a day of your choice (groups listed above) we need volunteers who understand autism to tune in between 4 and 5 pm to supervise. Contact Steve for more info RICHMOND SUPPORT GROUP – FACILITATOR WANTED
We are looking for a volunteer to help us bring back our Richmond support group. The group will run once a month on a day that suits you and you would be the facilitator who welcomes everyone in a local club for carers to connect. We do all the rest to support you as you become part of our awesome team of volunteers. If you would like to know more about what is involved please contact Steve directly on 0431 724 229 or steve@autismcommunity.org.au USE ACN FACEBOOK TO CONNECT
We know that some people don’t like using Facebook, but as we all do what we can to adapt to the current situation we’re all in, we want to remind you that our pages are Secret Status Member Access only. We will be using Facebook as well as other social media platforms to help provide more support for families, including opportunities for our kids to connect. If you would like to be invited to join an ACN page, please email steve@autismcommunity.org,au and you will be invited if you are a member. 
PLEASE DON’T BOOK IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND
Unfortunately we are seeing a growing number of people who regularly book in to attend ACN events but fail to turn up. This costs others the opportunity to attend and for some groups it also costs us money. Please note that consistent failure to attend a booking will result in exclusion from our events. 
REMINDER: PLEASE DO NOT INVITE FRIENDS TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGES
We created our Facebook pages for ACN members who are part of this local community. It is a means for parents and carers of children on the autism spectrum to communicate for mutual support. Each person who registers is invited to join their preferred pages. Non members will not be given access so please do not invite them. Our pages has been set up with secret status so that non members cannot search for it or see who is in it or what's being said. Ask your friends to register and they will be invited, non members will always be rejected. Your privacy is a priority for us. |
APRIL AUTISM ADULTS DINNER MOVED TO 12 APRIL
As the first Monday in April fell within the Easter period, our Autistic Adults social evening will run on Monday 12 April. We had a nice turnout last month and look forward to seeing more of the regular faces, along with some new ones at this very popular event INNER WEST SUPPORT GROUP STARTING THIS MONTH
We are pleased to announce that we are able to bring back a support group for carers in the inner west, starting from this month. Our Inner West Support Group will run on the last Monday each month from 10 am to Noon, at the Ethnic Community Services Co-op - Addison Road Community Centre: Building 3, 142 Addison Road, Marrickville. ACTIVITIES FOR GIRLS ON THE SPECTRUM IN THE SOUTH
The Fix-It Sisters Shed, based in the southern suburbs, are providing an opportunity for women n the spectrum of all ages to take part in some creative skills building social activities. They are an amazing group who’ve gotten so much out of seeing one of our young people engage with them so joyfully and now they want to expand such opportunities t others. Please see https://www.facebook.com/fixitsistersshed for more information. USE OUR FREE NEW COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD
Are you looking for someone for your adult child on the spectrum to live with? Do you want to promote an enterprise your autistic child is engaged in? Or maybe a call out for others on the spectrum who share your interests? ACN has introduced a Community Noticeboard to help with such things. It will work along similar lines as our Members’ Only Facebook pages, meaning we will use our discretion to promote your item, but via the website. Just send your notice to us at info@autismcommunity.org.au and we’ll consider it. https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/community-posts.html FREE RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR ACN MEMBERS
If you are registered with the ACN, you are able to access at no charge a number of great activities across Sydney, through Reclink. These include fitness, bowling, dance, Pilates, tennis and more. Just click on the link below or the Reclink button on our website to see all upcoming activities. https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/reclink.html 
ADVERTISE ON ACN
The Autism Community Network provides invaluable support to families in Sydney and beyond who deal with the challenges of autism every day. Our services are free to families and we rely on community support to continue to deliver all the programs and support that we do to so many. If you would like to promote your business and at the same time support the work that we do, we are now allowing limited advertising across our website. For more information on packages available please click on the red ad mock up below or call us on 0431 724 229 or info@autismcommunity.org.au 
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
We are regularly approached to promote credible research programs seeking participants. As we believe the more research out there the better for the future for our children, we post these requests on the Research section of our website. You can view these or respond to them by simply clicking on the black Autism Research button on our website. “FIRST OPTIONS” PAGE
When my son was diagnosed 13 years ago, everything changed. I needed to learn a lot in a short time. If only there was a document, ideally put together by other parents who knew more than me, to help me get started with navigating the autism world. There wasn’t, so we created one. We have now moved that to our website, in the form of pages providing advice on First Things to Do, Therapy Options, and available programs to consider. It also allows our members to send us your own recommendations so we can keep it current and helpful to those new families in the position every one of us have been in have something to look at. You can find the info in our Services tab on our website. – From Steve Drakoulis |
