On Friday, Princess Marie visited a project sponsored by the National Association for Autism as their patron, as well as the Youth Education Center.
Since 2007, The Youth Education Center in Værløse has specialised in supporting autistic young adults. The educational institution offers the ‘specially adapted youth education programme’ and collaborates with the project ‘Ready to Start’ which aims to help young autistic people getting a job: “‘Ready to Start’ is a graduation process targeted at the majority of young people with an autism diagnosis. The course is conducted throughout the country in cooperation with a number of educational institutions and partner companies, offering nothing less than job guarantee for the course participants.”
Several Danish companies have accepted to collaborate with the ‘Ready to Start’ programme – including Fakta and ILVA – ensuring that every person taking part in the programme will have a job in the end.
As Patron of the National Association for Autism, Princess Marie visited the Fakta store where two young autistic people got a job thanks to the ‘Ready to Start’ programme. These two people explained to Princess Marie how essential it was for them to have a job, to be a part of the workforce and to meet new people in their everyday life.
After her visit to the Fakta store, Princess Marie visited the Youth Education Center where she took part in the graduation ceremony of six students. She then had the opportunity to learn more about the various activities in the education centre.
Princess Marie is very involved in her patronage of the National Association for Autism- as it is deeply personal for her since one of her nephews is autistic- and just last week she had important meetings with representatives of the association when she and Prince Joachim visited the People’s Politic Festival in Bornholm.
