WAUSAU — A Milwaukee-based nonprofit that teaches creative skills to children and young adults on the autism spectrum will offer a free, community program to bring together neurodiverse teens and young adults in the Wausau area.
Islands of Brilliance will offer weekly, 60-minute sessions from February through September that will be led by a local educator and artist who have been hired and trained by IOB.
The program, called The Fellowship, begins Feb. 5 and will be held in person from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays at the Center for the Visual Arts in downtown Wausau.
The classes couple a creative hands-on activity with a technology component that helps students express themselves and encourages them to develop positive interaction skills. In addition, attendees will establish connections with peers and mentors in their community, which can help address the isolation that neurodiverse teens and young adults often face.
“Our curriculum matches each student’s special interests with creative-driven projects,” said Kate Siekman, director of learning and outcomes for Islands of Brilliance, in a news release. “We then introduce topic-based discussions that encourage participants to reflect on their unique life experiences in a supportive network of peers.”
Interested participants can connect with IOB at https://www.islandsofbrilliance.org/contact-us or 262-224-4230. To ensure individual attention, each community fellowship is limited to 10 participants.
Funding for the program came from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services through a grant using American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
