DIG IN AND GET INVOLVED DARLINGS:

Dear Baby Loves:

As we all know I just adore when young people are active socially. I remember speaking at the United Nations when I was six years old as a junior ambassador for my country at World Childrens Day... the impressions made on me then have remained with me my entire life.. My Mother Dr Ruth Engo no not that Dr Ruth hahah my brother and I always tease her about that one and my father H.E Judge Paul Bamela Engo are firm believers in getting young people involved at a very young age in world affairs - As a result instead of baby talk I got Global Talk, instead of the Cat in the Hat I got read UN briefings... Anyway long story short whenever I can get a young person into that building I DO. So much to my honor when Juan Carlos Brandt head of Events and Communications at the Department of Public Information emailed me to say he's read my texterview with Leven a month or so back ( WOAAAAAAAH can you believe the UN peeps are reading my blog yaaaaaay SO HONORED about that) but when he asked if I could ask Leven to come for the inauguration of WORLD AUTISM DAY I called Lev and was like MAMA get your butt to the UN PRONOTO!!! Much to her credit she flew back from Los Angeles and attended the event. I want to add that making this all happen was mostly to the credit of the young and fabulous interns at DPI which I always say if I didn't know better I would think they were hired on looks alone cause they are HOT YALL, like model hot.  WE LOVE INTERNS !!! Anywho so Leven wrote me a lovely letter and as WORLD AUTISM MONTH COMES TO A CLOSE i thought I would share it with you lot

Then I have also included Jenny Mcarthy and my idol Oprah Winfreys conversation with Jenny Mc Carthy so you can get the Jnr chat with me and my favorite young blondy autism activist and Oprah and her chat with and older and also affected and activist blondy. It's a multigenerational, interracial love fest and all to draw attention to a VERY serious cause.

UN BACIONE A TUTTI

SUZANNE AFRICA

The archived webcast of the event and the “Understanding and Celebrating Autism” film are available at

http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/spring08/briefings/Brief_3april08.asp /end

Hey my darling Suzanne Africa, First of all, I wanted to thank you so much for putting me in touch with Juan Carlos Brandt, Chief of the NGO section of the Department of Public Relations at the UN. I am so honored to have been invited to attend a panel discussion held at the UN in honor of the first-ever World Autism Awareness Day. I got to sit in the Conference Room and, along with 200 other activists, researchers, and even Autistic individuals, be a part of a highly educational, intellectual panel discussion. I sat wide-eyed and intrigued as I listened to speakers like Suzanne and Bob Wright, the founders of Autism Speaks (a charity that I have worked with in the past), Dr. Edwin Travathan, Director for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Mr. Lee Grossman, President and C.E.O of the Autism Society of America, and Co-Founder of the Open Center for Autism, Ms. Valerie Paradis. Being in the presence of such prestigious and brilliant people was such a learning experience. Each speaker possessed such a vast knowledge of the concerns of Autism. I now consider myself to be more educated and experienced with hands-on treatment of Autism. For example, walkathons to raise research money and awareness and visiting Autistic children and interacting and playing with them do help. But, as Bob Wright so eloquently acknowledged, there is a widening gap (what he calls the 10,000 foot leap) between hands-on approaches to Autism and governmental, political, and scientific aspects of the disorder. He recognized the importance of both, but emphasized the need to close the gap between the two in order to make significant progress. I found listening to Dr.Edwin Travathan supremely interesting and helpful, as he specializes in scientific aspect of Autism and the government policies toward Autism. He began by discussing that autism is not only affecting Americans, but people all over the world. The way he spoke with such compassion when Mothers and Fathers of Autistic children asked him questions moved me. This was an amazing opportunity for such people to hear first-hand their answers from a learned, acclaimed individual. He stressed the importance of early detection of Autism and "intervention" and how the CDCP is working dilligently to have children diagnosed earlier than 5 or 6 years old.

Another speaker was Ms. Valerie Paradis who I found extremely fascinating. Looking at her sit at the panel with such poise and dignity, I was shocked to hear her proclaim to the audience that she herself has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a high-functioning case of Autism. It was so different to hear the perspective of not only an educator, but someone actually living with the disorder and how it is affecting her. I was astonished when she revealed that she was diagnosed with her disorder at age 40! She is also raising a son with Autism, Elijah. He was in the audience and made a very articulate speech about being a teenager in high school with Autism and how he is falling in love for the first time. I was deeply humbled by hearing him speak with such eloquence and gratitude for all the help he had received and the support from his family and friends. Ms. Paradis made a statement that is still resonating within me now, that "it takes alot to make the invisible visible." She is referring to Autistic individuals as "invisible" not only to society but to themselves as they usually lack a sense of self-awareness. She also simply stated that the more visible Autism becomes in our world, the more can be done both at the "ground level" and the "10,000 foot" level.

After listening to an extensive question and answer session between an eager audience and a willing and gracious panel, Juan Carlos Brandt addressed me in the audience and asked me to say a few words. You would think being on television for the past 4 years would prepare one's psyche for public speaking. But, alas, I have never been so nervous. I felt inadequate compared to the speakers and the people in the audience personally affected everyday with Autism. I began by congraluting Elijah Paradis on his amazing transformation from when I had seen his MTV special, "True Life: I Have Autism" to now,

I’d appreciate it if you could tell everyone they should check out www.dosomething.org or www.autismspeaks.org!

I’ll see you for dinner soon I hope 

Love

Leven

Hey You Guys HERE IS AN OPRAH WINFREY EPISODE WITH JENNY MC CARTHY WHOSE CHILD IS AUTISTIC AND BELOW I HAVE INCLUDED THE UN REPORT ON THE EVENT LEVEN ATTENDED.

ARCHIVE: MY TEXTERVIEW WITH LEV ON AUTISM

http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF009898BA00080098D961/User/Blog/BlogPostDetail.aspx

Here is the UN SUMMARY ON THE EVENT

DPI/NGO Briefing Understanding and Celebrating Autism In Observance of the 1st World Autism Awareness Day (2 April) 3 April 2008 Summary The event was held in observance of the 1st World Autism Awareness Day. The briefing celebrated people with autism, their families and friends. It paid tribute to their daily struggles and highlighted the importance of a better understanding of the disorder. The briefing covered areas of concern regarding autism, on the national and international level, and<