Autism day, the video of Cus Catania sportsmen on social inclusion

Catania – Today, April 2, is celebrated the “World Day of Awareness of Autism” established in 2007 at the General Assembly of the United Nations. The CUS Catania, engaged for some time in social inclusion projects through sport, wanted
to underline the importance of a real awareness of the autism spectrum disorder, the consideration of which as a simple neuropsychiatric problem is conceptually surpassed by numerous scientific evidences. He did it in a simple way: with a video made through the participation of a delegation of young people from all the competitive sections including the young people who are involved in the “Sport ability in disability” project, now in its third season. All thanks to the coordination of the presidential secretariat, in the figure of Roberta Raffaele and the constant collaboration of Roberta Bottino, psychotherapist and coordinator of the SAD project.

A virtual relay that involved all the kids and that culminated with the launch of the blue balloons, the color of World Autism Awareness Day. On this occasion, the president of CUS Catania, Luigi Mazzone, also in his figure of child neuropsychiatrist, wanted to launch two fundamental messages again: “That of autism – said Mazzone – is a condition that causes great suffering and impacts on life quality. For this reason, two fundamental components are needed to help those affected and families: science, which has often been lacking in recent years, and social support. To guarantee this last point, recreational and, above all, sports programs are necessary, which must be put in place so that autistic children can have at their disposal the skills and training of personnel who guide them in structured activities. This is what we have done in recent years at CUS Catania, through two projects: the summer camp thanks to the collaboration with the Onlus project Aita, and the Sport ability in disability project which has allowed the inclusion of many autistic children in our sports activities, through a support that I believe is important. I hope that April 2 will not only last the space of a day, but that awareness of these issues will involve as many people as possible every day of the year ”.