Her parents advised her against it, but she did it anyway.
Seventeen-year-old high school senior Amanda Sun from San Jose founded a nonprofit to bring free art workshops to neurodivergent children in Silicon Valley. Her parents were concerned that she would be overloading an already heavy academic schedule at BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, but Sun followed her passion.
“I began Colorful Minds out of my own experiences with neurodivergence and passion for neuroscience,” said Sun, who grew up as a neurodiverse individual with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder).
“Seeking to empower other neurodivergent children at a younger age, I created a program centered around art therapy, which I had read about in my neuroscience explorations,” said Sun, who has enjoyed doing art since a child.
Most Sunday afternoons, neurodiverse youngsters with conditions such as autism and ADHD and their parents meet up in a private room at Cupertino Library for a 90-minute Colorful Minds art workshop. Each child is paired with one of about 22 teenage volunteers, who themselves may be neurodivergent.
Sun explained that painting helps the children release their emotions and express themselves, two main workshop goals. Seasonal art projects included painting pumpkins in October and making tree ornaments in December. Sun shops online for art supplies with donated funds that have totaled about $2,000.
At the Jan. 12 workshop, the parents and volunteers—most of them Sun’s high school classmates—implied that they get as much from the workshops as the children do.
“This is an inclusive community. I love doing this with friends,” said volunteer Yiling Wu from San Jose. “I love teaching and spreading this love for art among these neurodiverse children and their families.”
Cupertino mom Chitra brings her neurodiverse five-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter to the workshops.
“There’s a sense of community here,” said Chitra. “It’s a safe space for parents to get together and share concerns.”
Sanjay Kumar from Sunnyvale brings his five-year-old son. Sometimes, his young daughter tags along, not wanting to miss out on the attention her neurodivergent brother gets.
“I think I look forward to coming more than them!” said Kumar. “I feel valued as a parent with a special needs kid who’s given an equal opportunity. I love how the volunteers treat the kids with so much kindness and patience. My daughter feels like a princess when she comes here.”
San Jose mom Madhu brings her seven-year-old son. Like many of the parents, she heard about Colorful Minds through Parents Helping Parents, a San Jose-based resource hub that supports parents of children and adults with disabilities.
“The volunteers have empathy and are sensitive to the special needs of our kids,” said Madhu. “Coming here has helped my son socialize. He enjoys it. It’s one step further making him socially comfortable for what he has to face in the future.”
Growing up, Sun struggled with the symptoms of her OCD.
“But I eventually discovered the unexpected strengths that accompany my neurodivergence,” she said.
Perseverance in reaching goals and the ability to focus on and remember details are strengths that helped her in founding Colorful Minds, which already has spread beyond Silicon Valley. It has three California chapters and one each in Florida, Texas, New York, Shanghai (China) and Bangladesh.
Visit the Colorful Minds website, designed by Sun, to sign neurodiverse children up for workshops, volunteer, provide support, and learn about its additional programs.
“Working with the community we’ve created at Colorful Minds has been such a meaningful experience. I feel that my work is truly making an impact on members of the neurodivergent youth community, and I’m so glad that I’m able to do so,” said Sun, who hopes to become a neurologist.
“I’m so, so grateful for the support from our wonderful volunteers and parent donations that keep our program going.”
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