The young man had the opportunity to become an apprentice thanks to Ramacrisna and found the Institute a welcome for his autism spectrum disorder.
About a year ago, Mateus Andrade Vasconcelos Resende was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The teenager, now 16, had difficulties at school and in everyday activities.
But with professional counselling and support from the Ramacrisna Institute, he now feels more confident in himself. He understands that his limitations don’t prevent him from realising his dreams. Get to know this story.
The Institute has always been part of Mateus’ life. His father was one of Ramacrisna’s employees. But the first direct contact between the boy and one of the institution’s projects was through the Young People of the Future course.
In the classes, Mateus and other students learned important and necessary concepts to begin their journey towards the labour market, such as public speaking, ethics, customer service and interpersonal relationships, for example.
At the end of the course, young people aged between 14 and 20 are ready to take the first step on their professional journeys. According to the company’s demands, the profile analysis and the teenager’s performance during the classes, they are recommended to companies to apply for job vacancies as apprentices.
This is what happened to Mateus. He was selected by Spam Eletromecânica, a company in Betim. After a while, he left his job and became an apprentice at Ramacrisna. Today, he helps out in the institution’s library. “I feel proud to be part of this institution,” he says.
In the midst of entering the labour market, Mateus was diagnosed with autism. According to the World Health Organisation, autism or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a series of conditions characterised by some degree of impairment in social behaviour, communication and language, and by a narrow range of interests and activities that are unique to the individual and carried out repetitively.
One of the difficulties Mateus faced was at school: because of the noise from students and teachers, he can’t concentrate, which ends up compromising his performance in activities and exams. But the boy, who is in the first year of secondary school, has managed to improve his quality of life by undergoing psychological and psychiatric counselling.
In addition, being at Ramacrisna is something that benefits him. “Today, at the Institute, I feel more at ease, because the atmosphere is pleasant, people understand me and my limitations,” he says.
More than a safe place, for Mateus, Ramacrisna is an instrument for his learning and personal growth. “The main challenge is learning to organise my time, because that’s one of my difficulties. But here I receive a lot of support, which helps me to excel more every day,” he says.
Believing in everyone’s potential, recognising diversity and respecting personal limitations in order to transform lives. This is how Ramacrisna has been doing its work for over 60 years.
The non-profit organisation runs projects in the areas of leisure, culture, vocational training and apprenticeships for children, teenagers and adults in socially vulnerable situations in 11 cities in the Metropolitan Region.
In all, more than 2 million people have had their lives transformed by our projects. You can help improve the lives of many people. Get to know our work and make a donation
