Thank you, Mayor!
Our Dare to be Different campaign has received a massive boost with an endorsement from none other than the Mayor of Barking & Dagenham! The campaign to raise awareness of autism and also of all the vital work that we do in East London has been recognised by Cllr Sanchia Alasia, who is a huge supporter of disabled charities.
Ever since the Mayor found out about the services we provide in the borough, she has taken a keen interest in our work and paid us a visit last autumn to meet some of the young people on our supported employment programme and she was quick to lend her support to our Dare to be Different Day, which takes place on Friday 5th April this year, during World Autism Awareness Week.
We've been looking at ways to raise our profile in the three boroughs that we serve as well as highlighting autism in general. As a hidden disability, it is often overlooked and we felt that Auitism Awareness Week was the perfect platform to try and raise awarness of all the important work that we do.
We're asking schools, private businesses and public organisations to join un on 5th April by wearing something unuusal to school or work. Part of being autistic is finding a way to fit in and we hope that this idea highlights the daily struggles faced by many people affected by autism.
Mayor Alasia has lived in London since she was three months old and moved to Dagenham in 2007. She is an award winning human resource and diversity specialist and also serves as a governor at the Richard Alibon primary school.
She invited us to visit the Mayor's Parlour at Barking Town Hall recently and she was pleased to support the Sycamore Trust campaign, saying; "I will encourage residents and businesses to get involved in Dare to be Different day, either by participating or by sponsoring Sycamore Trust." She continued; "We celebrate diversity in Barking & Dagenham - harnessing those differences helps us to celebrate what makes us unique."
The Mayor also proposed a flag raising ceremony which allows us to fly our flag at the Town Hall which we hope to do during Autism Awareness Week. Steve Dixon from the Sycamore Trust said; "We are very grateful to the Mayor for all her support and the interest she has shown in what we do. Having her on board really helps to raise our profile and we hope she will encourage others to take part in our campaign."
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Dare to be Different