STORY: Autistic youth art exhibition held in southern California
SHOOTING TIME: Sept. 17, 2024
DATELINE: Sept. 19, 2024
LENGTH: 0:01:45
LOCATION: YORBA LINDA, U.S.
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the event
2. SOUNDBITE (English): KARL LI, Student from Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles County
3. various of the event

STORYLINE:

A calligraphy and painting exhibition featuring works by autistic youth, along with a charity luncheon, was held Tuesday at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California.

Described by attendees as "a dialogue exploring art therapy and medical therapy for autistic children," the event attracted a diverse group of participants, including autistic children and families from China and the United States, professors from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy, as well as local educational institutions, artists, and entrepreneurs.

Jointly sponsored by the Pan American Health Society, the China Volunteer Service Foundation (CVSF), and the Autistic Youth Art Education Foundation, the event showcased dozens of remarkable paintings created by autistic individuals. These works were collected through the CVSF's "Light Plan," a public welfare initiative focused on "lighting up hope and finding light."

The "Light Plan" was designed to help autistic children realize their right to equal education, individual value, and a happy life, and help their families regain hope in life, said Shi Bing, the plan's initiator.

SOUNDBITE (English): KARL LI, Student from Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles County
"Our mission is to focus on popularizing the public knowledge of many diseases, especially focusing on the autism, because I believe that autism is a minority group in our society, and autistic children cannot express themselves, and they usually find it hard to communicate with people. That is why their voice are not well heard in this society, so not only in the U.S,, but also China. So I believe that art is a way that is fine as self-expression. So I believe that art is a way that can make autistic children (get) their voice out and also release their, I wouldn't say disease, but release their hardship of communicating with people."

Autism, or Autism spectrum disorder, is a neurological disorder affecting one's social interaction, communication, and routine, among others. It is observed across the globe.

In China, several non-governmental organizations, such as "Light Plan," have been established to provide autism intervention, parental training, and support to improve the emotional well-being of both children with autism and their parents.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Yorba Linda, U.S.
(XHTV)