Autism Awareness Week 2021 

Please see our schedule of activities planned and ways in which you can get involved to help raise awareness and funds with family and friends. Please do join the fun to help awareness and understanding of autism across Hampshire

Autism Hampshire Autism Awards 2021:

The Autism Awareness Awards categories are as follows:

Autism Champions - Please nominate a community group, organisation, employer, venue or similar, for an Autism Champions Award, if they have:

• Shown excellent service
• Shown positive and proactive communication
• Shown a great amount of support when visiting their establishment
• Promoted and demonstrated strong core values
• Used innovation to support
• Investing in building a strong relationship with employees
• Invested in and build a strong relationship with customers

Autism Heroes - Please nominate an individual for an Autism Heroes Award if they have:

• Gone above and beyond and should receive recognition for this
• Shown good qualities to support someone else
• Invested in a relationship with someone
• Been pro-active
• Shown strength and demonstrable levels of diversity and inclusion

Please click here to for more information and details of how to place your nomination(s).

The deadline for nomination submissions is Wednesday 24^th March and the winner will be announced on Friday 2^nd April.

Virtual Art Exhibition:

Join our virtual art exhibition where creatives and artist on the autism spectrum across Hampshire will share their artwork. This will be anything from poems, photography, painting, collages, anything creative that best represents their hometown. During the week we will be releasing all artwork of those who have entered where a winner of the best piece will be announced. Please keep an eye for this on our social media platforms and website news items.

Interviews with our ‘Expert by Experience’ members and others:

During the week we will be interviewing members of our ‘Experts by Experience’ group and parents to share with you some of their experiences on different topics. Topics will include:

• Hyper Focus with Leigh Taylor
• Art and Autism with Deborah Goatley-Birch
• Mental Health with Tin Betts and Dan Geddes
• Sensory Overload with Daniel Jeffery

Get Crafty and Show Your Support:

Print out our Autism Awareness Week posters and get crafty. Decorate, colour, paint, collage this any way you want and stick this in your window to show your support. Please Download your templates here: design 1, design 2, design 3

Make sure you tags us in the photos on social media or send them via email to info@autismhampshire.org.uk to share.

Create Your Own Fundraiser:

Stay home and fundraise from the comfort of your own home this Autism Awareness Week. Here you will find fun ways to raise awareness and funds at home with family and friends. Here are some ideas we have come up with:

• Virtual Quiz/Games night: Set up and host your very own quiz or games night and simply ask for a donation take part. Choose a theme to base your quiz around or even go as fancy-dress for all to dress-up.
• Virtual Bake off: get creative and bake your favourite cakes, cookies, puddings, whatever you fancy and get everyone involved to score one another based on your design, presentation, and visual techniques (e.g. that it isn’t burnt!) The judging will be held virtually so the best part is you get to eat your lovely bakes yourself. Set a fundraising page up, through virgin giving and ask for a donation to enter. Ready, set, Bake!
• Sponsored Haircuts and colours: Colour your hair a funky colour, cut it short or go for the full head shave - It depends how daring you feel you. Ask family and friend for support and video the cut live for all to see to encourage donations. We recommend following the safely instructions if colouring hair and ensuring haircuts and shaves are carried out safety with permission from parents if required.
• Step challenge: challenge you and your family to complete a set number of steps over Autism Awareness Week. Keep track on an app of you chose and ask friends to sponsor you. Please see our ‘create your own distance challenge’ page on website for more information on setting this up.

Please don’t forget to tag us in any photos you share on social media. We love to see the amazing ways you support us! You can also share any photo’s via email and be in with a chance on being featured on our website. If you do need some help deciding what to do please emails our fundraising team on fundraising@autismhampshire.org.uk where we can support your fundraiser ideas every step of the way.

Please follow this Virgin Money Giving Link to set up your fundraiser.