This 15-year-old Buenos Aires NGO has a multidisciplinary team and more than 60 participants per week
By Paula Galinsky
“Our children didn’t have a space for their personal development beyond therapies,” says Soledad Zangroniz, president and one of the creators of Fundación Brincar por un Autismo Feliz (“Playing for a Happy Autism Foundation”, in English), a nonprofit organization (NGO) with 15 years of history.
The organization was founded in 2010 as an initiative by Soledad and another mother, Carina Morillo, who sought to improve the quality of life for their children. Today, Brincar has evolved into a leading institution in the field, collaborating to promote autonomy for adult life and job inclusion for people with autism.
In the last three years, Brincar has focused its work on the generation of concrete tools so that teenagers and adults with autism can develop independently and access job opportunities. “We feel that after age 18, there are very few spaces for social and professional inclusion”, explains Zangroniz.
Brincar is headquartered in Villa Crespo, a Buenos Aires neighborhood, and is composed of a team of 35 people, including workshop mentors, teachers, psychologists, and therapeutic companions.
Their workshops are spaces for learning and enjoyment. More than 60 people participate weekly in activities that include art, music, theater, social skills, sports, healthy cooking, bookbinding and vocational skills.
The foundation also offers life skills and self-management classes in which they provide training in money management, agenda organization, and day planning for those who join. On Saturdays, they have recreational activities. “Besides learning, at Brincar the kids generate bonds and a sense of belonging,” emphasizes Soledad.
To prepare their beneficiaries’ path toward a real job insertion, the NGO also works with companies. It conducts talks that address topics related to neurodiversity and employment. Additionally, they provide consulting services on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and help organizations interested in incorporating people with autism into their teams.
In turn, the foundation supports families: it organizes free in-person meetings and offers a permanent consultation line. Meanwhile, they have a professional training program with 30 online courses, some free and others with fees, aimed at professionals as well as family members and the general community.
The NGO’s impact is reflected in stories like that of Fernanda Fabbiano and her son, diagnosed with autism at age 3. “I found Brincar online. My son started in a free art workshop at age 5, on Saturdays. He left the classes happy because he felt they understood him and gave him the time and space he needed. Today he’s 16 and we continue connected with the institution,” she explains.
Fernanda emphasizes that it’s not only the kids who feel understood. “I started participating in family meetings where I felt and continue to feel embraced by peers. I met people who had already followed the path I was going through and who guided me.”
Across the years, her son participated in music workshops, yoga, and other events organized by the foundation. Fernanda, who works at a bank, currently coordinates family meetings and promotes awareness actions in the workplace.
“One of my greatest fears is what will happen to my son when he grows up. People with autism have a lot to give, and in companies, there are still barriers due to fear of what’s different,” she assures.
And she adds: “It’s not a matter of inventing a job for them, it’s allowing them to demonstrate what they can do.”
How to support?
Brincar is sustained thanks to contributions from members, private and corporate donations, contribution bonds, fundraising campaigns, and the sale of online courses. Currently, it doesn’t receive state support and needs funds to grant more scholarships, add activities, and accompany new organizations interested in including people with autism.Those who wish to support can visit www.brincar.org.ar or write to info@brincar.org.ar.
