This February, new creative programming for neurodivergent teens and young adults is coming to the Tomahawk Public Library and the Wausau Center for the Visual Arts.
It’s called The Fellowship and Tomahawk will have their first session tonight at 5pm.
When young adults leave the school system, their support structures can change pretty dramatically.
There aren’t as many services targeted at supporting neurodivergent young adults aged 16-30, and that’s where Islands of Brilliance comes in.
Woodzick is the Statewide Outreach Manager for Islands of Brilliance, an organization that curates learning experiences for young people with autism.
“Neurodivergent and autistic folks, especially, but honestly, all humans, need a little bit of extra support during that time, like, what are my special interests? You know, how do I expand my network and my friend group and make those really lasting social connections?” they explained.
The Fellowship is a free program where young people gather for creative arts-based activities and guided discussions.
It’s part of this larger statewide initiative called Think Ability Wisconsin, which aims to provide community resources for people with disabilities to address issues with transition from school to work.
“We're hoping the impact of this program is to change perceptions about autistic and neurodivergent individuals. Our mission for 2024 is to create these IOB (Islands of Brilliance) pockets of joy, in as many spaces, as much as possible,” they said.
They explained that this program is different from others in that it leans into people’s special interests.
“Speaking from my personal experience, sometimes, as a neurodivergent individual, you get really passionate about something and you're sharing and sharing and sharing about it. And sometimes you can see folks’ eyes glaze over a little bit, right? And so to be able to be in a curated community, a space that's especially made for autistic and neurodivergent folk, that embraces that passion for special interests,” they said.
Deb Wall is a fellow with the Tomahawk and Wausau programs.
“This week, our focus is on a neighborhood, and we do a project of what is the neighborhood? What does your neighborhood look like? What might be what you would want the neighborhood to look like? And then we all create a project. So it's more of an individual hands-on project, and then we put the projects together to kind of form a community,” she said.
Each week leaders introduce a new project.
“If anyone's on the fence, do it, like, make the jump sign up! You're gonna have a good time, I promise,” said Woodzick.
The Fellowship is free, but make sure you register online.
