THE EAGLE. It is a quarterly publication written by highly functional autistic children, it is called “Punto Karma Magazine” and – as the news agency also reminds us Handle – is supported by the Autism Abruzzo non-profit association: it was presented in L’Aquila, in the Fabiani room of the regional council, by the president of the non-profit organization Dario Verzulli and the editorial director Michela Santoro. Also present was Stefano Pallotta, president of the Order of Journalists of Abruzzo (OdgA) who sponsored the magazine.
«Since we started with this project – explained Verzulli – our kids have grown a lot. They are more open, their self-esteem has increased and they feel more confident and capable of interacting with others.” Twelve columns for now, one for each editor. A magazine destined to grow given that other young people have already joined in the creation of issue zero and will take part in the writing of the next issue, due out in September.
«It was a very demanding job, especially for the editorial team. The girls and boys – said Santoro – learned how to write an article, how an editorial office works, how to set up a newspaper. In this zero issue they decided to tell a bit about their lives, but in the next few they will also touch on other topics.”
The editorial team met (and will continue to do so, except for a short summer break) every Thursday afternoon in Punto Karma, a psychology studio linked to Autism Abruzzo and an offshoot of the Davide Project. The presence of the two psychologists, Cristina Milani and Valeria Gaeta, who constantly followed the group was fundamental.
«We sponsored this magazine – commented Pallotta – recognizing a strong social value in the project. I believe that democracy lives on inclusion and that this is a very important product to encourage society to learn beyond stereotypes.” Issue zero of the magazine will be distributed free of charge in the next few days in shopping centres, cafés and clubs in L’Aquila.
