- Autism Awareness Month
This year, CIP Bloomington learned about the circus for Autism Awareness Month. CIP students, led by Ann Dorwin of RINGS Circus Education, trained in the arts of juggling, balancing, and plate spinning during our Social Thinking Class. Our students practiced as part of a circus troupe as they learned to couple repetition and motor skills with the cognitive processes related to muscle memory. This was important to our students because learning to develop a new physical activity creates a new way of thinking; a new mentality. Once their training had ended the CIP students decided to use their skills within the Bloomington Community. We set up a time to meet with Head Start and our CIP students helped lead an educational workshop on juggling for 3 – 5 year olds, as well as put on a small performance of their own.
CIP student Cody was a big help in assisting with RINGS Circus and Head Start. He was involved in all the training sessions and teachings. He seemed to enjoy the routine of juggling, coupled with the excitement of teaching young children.
“I enjoyed learning about the cognitive benefits of circus activities. I also enjoyed reaching kids.”
Overall, it was a great day for Bloomington as CIP and Head Start learned more about their hidden talents as they practiced developing new skills in a world beyond their comfort zone.
Later that week the CIP office lit it up blue. We filled our space with streamers, balloons, and place settings, as our student council found new and innovative ways to decorate. Blue is the color of Autism Awareness Month, and it truly showed in Bloomington.
CIP developed a partnership with We-Are-You: a nonprofit striving to reduce negative stereotypes and to empower marginalized people through photographs, statements, and face to face interactions. Jenn Harmless is the founder of We-Are-You and she came to CIP and led a workshop on vulnerability and judgment. She showed videos and passed out worksheets to facilitate discussion among CIP students regarding times they’ve felt judged and how difficult it is to be vulnerable in today’s society. We-Are-You conducted interviews with students and will use the answers from those interviews to promote Autism Awareness.
“Many of us feel we are being ignored or judged because of who we are, how we identify, or what we believe. Some of us feel stereotyped and discriminated against, or even under threat of attack. We might feel singled out and stigmatized because of who we love, because of who we worship (or don't), because of mental illness or disability. We feel we are being perceived by some as being less than human. This project aims to give everyone a voice to show the world who we are. We are you.” – We-Are-You Website.
CIP did an amazing job supporting Autism Awareness Month. The contribution of the students this year really helped to make it a special and event filled month. We dove into new mentalities as we discovered more about each other and the Bloomington community. We can’t wait until next year!
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