Empowering Youth with ASD and Down Syndrome through Art & Entrepreneurship

We are excited to announce the launch of the latest European initiative – ‘TUA – The Unexpected Artrepreneur’ to help people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Down Syndrome (DS) combat feelings of exclusion and marginalisation. Through the use of visual art, this project aims to provide long-term soft skills of self-expression, social innovation and social participation amongst young people with mental disabilities, as well as to create inclusive and equal learning environments.

The project is set to develop a specialised curriculum and training focused on teaching the intersection of the visual art and entrepreneurship to minimise the challenges experienced at hand. Using an interactive e-learning platform and toolkits, the project hopes not only to enhance the overall feeling of belonging, but also to encourage young people to become agents of social change through art and entrepreneurship. The training materials will be available to support professionals working with youth, as well as teaching toolkits for young people to access concepts about art and social entrepreneurship.

Supported by CARDET, alongside CESIE, ARTIT Athens, Amazing Youth, CARDET, Aproximar and KMOP Policy Center, ‘The Unexpected Artrepreneur’ promises to be a transformative project for these young people, their families and communities. By teaching marginalized youth to share their views and stories with the world ‘The Unexpected Artrepreneur’ seeks to reinforce common values and civic engagement and strengthen young people’s sense of initiative and increase the quality, innovation and recognition of work produced by young people with DS/ASD.

For more information, please visit the project website.