YOUNG WOMAN SAYS I CAN TO HER SUPERPOWER

For Immediate Release 11 September 2019

YOUNG WOMAN SAYS I CAN TO HER SUPERPOWER

Caitlin Downie Kempson is one of many Autistic young people who will be exhibiting her superpower to a crowd of over 300 guests at the annual I CAN Network AWETISM Expo 2019.

22-year-old Caitlin’s journey to unlock her superpower began after attending an I CAN Network Camp as a mentee.

The more I CAN Camps she attended the more motivated she became and soon she enlisted to become a Mentor, embraced Autism and developed a lasting I CAN attitude.

What’s Caitlin’s superpower I hear you ask? It’s being able to help others “blossom”.

Caitlin embarked on her advocacy journey more than five years ago, not only transforming herself but also supporting her peers to lead a more empowered and confident existence.

“Being a mentor with I CAN has played such a significant part in my life for the past four and a half years. I love working with school groups and at I CAN camps,” Caitlin said.

More recently Caitlin has played a key role in trailblazing online mentoring groups for the I CAN Network.

The online group mentoring program helps Autistic participants to connect socially while building confidence in a safe, engaging and supportive environment.

“Many participants don’t know how to express themselves fully, but they come out of their shell and learn to accept themselves and they begin to blossom.”

“I think back to all the issues I had with self-esteem and self-doubt as a teenager and I’m grateful to have a chance to help others navigate their high school years,” she said.

Caitlin will address more than 300 guests at the I CAN Network’s AWETISM Expo, the premier event for Autistic students and their schools in Australia.  

The I CAN Network’s AWETISM Expo became an annual event since its inauguration in 2015.

Last year the event attracted more than 200 guests growing in statue this year to well over 300 attendees.

The Expo is a safe space for Autistic students to make new friends and meet like-minded people and it is also a place for educational professionals, family and friends to experience truly unique innovation to support young Australian Autistics.

Since 2017, AWETISM has been sponsored and hosted by ANZ Bank.

ANZ’s strategy with its sponsorship is to showcase its ‘Spectrum Program’, an internal program to actively employ Autistic people in ANZ, to Autistic high school students.

EVENT DETAILS:

I CAN Network AWETISM Expo 2019 - ‘Where Autistic students put the AWE in Awetism’, ANZ Bank Docklands, 833 Collins St Docklands, Victoria from 9.30AM - 2.30PM.

If you would like to interview Caitlin please contact, I CAN Network Founder Chris Varney - 0432 405 384

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