8 minute read
NEURODIVERCITY: A NEURODIVERSE STUDENT COMMUNITY FOR ALL
By Serena Chen
A PLATFORM FOR NEURODIVERSE STUDENT CONNECTION, FRIENDSHIPS, CREATIVITY, SUPPORT, AND GUIDANCE THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCES!
It’s essential to recognize neurodivergent student experiences are incomparable to neurotypical adults and that individual neurodivergent experiences, perceptions, and needs can drastically differ from person to person. Unfortunately, this isn’t always acknowledged. Due to commonplace misconceptions around neurodiversity, many neurodivergent students are often ignored, forced into inaccurate molds, or left to mask their identities in fear of shame or stigma.
I was one of them. That’s why I created NeurodiverCity: to uphold a supportive and accessible community where every neurodiverse student’s concerns, passions, and experiences can be heard, not suppressed.
Parents, are you looking for a supportive environment for your neurodivergent child(ren) to make friends with other neurodivergent students? Neurodiverse students, are you looking for a safe space where you can simply be yourself, consult support, unmask without judgment, and meet other amazing neurodiverse students worldwide? Are you struggling with a diagnosis or accommodations but don’t know how to approach your parents or where to begin?
NeurodiverCity is the only international student community and resource platform run BY neurodiverse students FOR neurodiverse students. We aim for the amplification of neurodivergent youth voices rather than traditional suppression to leverage advocacy, education, community, and support.
Welcome!
What is NeurodiverCity?
NeurodiverCity is an online community for neurodiverse students from all over the world to make friendships, ask questions, bond over interests, and consult mutual support. Its namesake is a two-part pun on the word neurodiversity: Neurodiver, one who delves deep into their brain, and City, a diverse community of supportive individuals.
Among its core features are the Neurodiverse Student Support Chatrooms, a mentorship program, the Neurodiverse Creativity Showcase, education groups for neurodiversity allies, resource and education pages, and Neurodiversity
Corner, which highlights neurodiverse musings, blog posts, memes, music, and cat photoshops. Our mission is simple: to uphold a safe space where every neurodivergent student can be heeded, embraced, and supported.
Neurodiverse student support chatrooms
Open to all neurodivergent students grades five through grad school, NeurodiverCity’s Neurodiverse Student Support Chatrooms is a friendly and supportive community that offers all neurodivergent students the opportunity to connect, consult mutual support, discuss their neurodiversity, embrace neurodiversity culture, share successes, stay on track, engage in advocacy, and perpetuate encouragement.
Student chatrooms take place over Discord, and no formal diagnosis is necessary to join—we welcome all those who suspect a neurodiverse condition or are seeking a diagnosis. Below is a picture of just a few of our channel offerings, which now support 140+ neurodivergent students worldwide. Sign up here to join us today!
Free neurodiverse peer and adult mentorships program
NeurodiverCity’s free mentorship program includes neurodiverse peer mentorships, neurodiverse peer tutoring, adult neurodiverse mentoring, life coaching, neurodiversity coaching, psychologist mentoring, and psychologist consultations. Our 17-member international team of neurodiverse mentors and coaches cater to neurodiverse students who have undergone similar experiences.
In general, mentors/coaches can assist with school subjects, neurodiversity management strategies, embracing neurodiversity, advocating for diagnosis or in-school accommodations, and provide general guidance for mentees. Prospective mentees fill out a form, we read their responses, and we pair them with our database of peer or adult mentors/coaches who can best assist them.
As we’re an international team, time differences can be difficult to work out. That’s why our mentorships can take place both over text and Zoom; this also allows mentees to ask as many questions as they want and receive the most help because they’re not limited to a certain time frame. Mentees can ask their mentor any questions, consult support, request advice, or seek assistance with anything else neurodiversity-related, and we’re able to get back to them as soon as possible!
We also offer certified life coaching and psychologist consultation services, which are held live over Zoom. Life coaching is goal-setting and mental health-oriented, while psychologist consultation options include psychotherapy sessions, behavioral assessments, and intervention development.
In addition to our one-to-one mentoring programs, we have a group mentoring option in which multiple neurodiverse mentors with different experiences can collaborate to address all the different aspects of the mentee’s requests. This option is specially tailored for those with comorbid conditions but available to everyone who requests it.
All our neurodiversity mentoring services are free because our goal is to leverage accessible neurodiversity support for all who need it, regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis or not. Our passionate mentors channel their personal experiences and expertise into assistance, support, and guidance for each and every student, resulting in a profound and rewarding experience for both mentor and mentee.
About neurodiversity and neurodiverse resources by neurodiverse students
Our continually updated Neurodiversity Resource Hub is written and produced by neurodiverse individuals, represented with the help of cat residents in my backyard. Our articles and videos feature definitions, fact sheets, neurodiverse condition write-ups, guides, common and not-so-common symptoms, learning accommodation guides, tips and tricks, CBT tools, and Neurodiversity FAQs.
For educators, counselors, and parents, these cats are also equipped with various diagnosis, teaching, and screening tools guides!
Neurodiverse Creativity Showcase
Our Neurodiverse Creativity Showcase is one of our most recent incorporations and features work from talented neurodiverse artists, musicians, and authors! Our Art, Music, Projects, and Comic Galleries aim to uphold an inclusive platform for individuals to showcase their creativity, highlight the
strengths of neurodiversity, and encourage reflection upon personal experiences with neurodiversity.
Neurodivergent and interested in being featured? We welcome creative submissions of all kinds—a project, any artwork, music, a piece you composed, a poem, a comic, or any random musings that highlight the best of your thinking! Click here to contribute (this opportunity is open to all neurodivergent individuals!).
Neurodiverse Experiences Blog
NeurodiverCity’s neurodivergent-led Neurodiverse Experiences Blog features lived experiences and education posts from culturally diverse neurodivergent individuals to combat misrepresentation, stereotypes, and misconceptions. Our resident bloggers are Rohit and me. Here, you’ll find categories of our random musings, autism and ADHD education, product recommendations, reposts from our Instagram page, and bad puns.
We’re always welcoming new blog submissions! If you are neurodivergent or a neurodivergent minority (ex. female, person of color, etc.) we’d love to feature one of your works or welcome you to our blogging team. If interested, please fill out the form here.
Neurodiversity Corner
Our Neurodiversity Corner hides at the very bottom of our home page, with occasional featured appearances on our Instagram! This section highlights some of our favorite music, memes, stress relievers, cat photoshops, comics, and blogs, as well as a customized arcade. Come check it out or add something to this space—we’re excited about welcoming your music recommendations, blog submissions, original memes, or fidget toy and fun product reviews!
If you’re looking for some engaging neurodiversity content to spice up your feed, the NeurodiverCity Instagram page is where you’ll find weekly posts featuring tips, personal experiences, education, and advice! Follow along as I recount my personal stories through a myriad of cat photoshops, stickers, words, and animations. Lastly, this initiative could not be made possible without all the amazing people involved. If you’re neurodivergent and interested in joining our creator, blogger/writer, artist, or mentor team, please fill out this form to apply. We look forward to reading your responses—and while you’re at it, don’t forget to visit our customized Neurodiversity Arcade or Cat Photoshop comics!
Check out everything else at www.neurodiver-city.org!
About Serena Chen, Founder
I’m a 17-year-old high school senior, and I’m diagnosed with ADHD. I founded NeurodiverCity because there were no other worldwide neurodiverse student support groups coordinated by and for neurodiverse students themselves.
Having struggled through the pervading cultural stigma around neurodiversity myself, I strove to help guide other students in overcoming the stigma and encourage self-advocacy for accommodations and diagnosis. I channeled former cultural shame and repeated shortcomings into identity embracement and advocacy. I began writing about my experiences, reached out to other neurodiverse advocates, researched, compiled resources, and designed—then redesigned—the website. Months later came NeurodiverCity: a supportive neurodiverse student community for all to bond over shared experiences, laugh at neurodiversity memes, consult support, and embrace unique traits together without the pressure of forced assimilation. Today, NeurodiverCity’s Neurodiverse Student Chatrooms supports hundreds of amazing neurodiverse students, many of whom have started their own personal experience and advocacy accounts. The website has been visited by thousands of parents, students, and educators worldwide for its resource pages, mentorship program, and community. We’ve reached over 1,100 followers on Instagram with 570,000 plus impressions worldwide. The team members, content, elements, and ideas have all changed from my initial planning to what they are now—and through each change, I’ve been nothing short of elated and confused. But a few core aspects have remained steadfast: my gratitude for this community, their support and unwavering friendliness, and the mentors and members who have now supported so many other students. Neurodiversity is now something we can proudly and freely discuss—and today, we’re no longer afraid to show it.
Serena Chen, a 17-year-old senior at St. Francis High School, founded NeurodiverCity with the vision to eliminate misconceptions, reduce stigma, and establish a supportive community for neurodiverse students. Since then, she has spoken at the Stanford Neurodiversity Summit, written a blog for REEL2e, and will take part in the upcoming 100 Days of Conversations neurodivergent education panel. Aside from neurodiversity advocacy, Serena is an avid trumpet player and runner. When not writing for NeurodiverCity, you’ll probably find her channeling her ADHD into trumpet, running, or shuffling her Spotify playlist because she can’t ever decide on what to listen to. Website: www.neurodiver-city.org Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neurodiver.city/
