Alstom Foundation awards funds to the New York Transit Museum to support expanded skills development program for youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

• In partnership with the Alstom Foundation, the Transit Museum will expand its social engagement programs for youth with autism and a pilot program focused on career pathways of young adults ages 15-21

The Alstom Foundation announced details of a new grant to support the New York Transit Museum’s social engagement programs for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they seek to expand programming to older teens and young adults. In the last decade, the New York Transit Museum, a non-profit organization, has created and led innovative programs focused on building social confidence and providing a safe space for social interaction.

“The Alstom Foundation is committed to supporting social needs including access to mobility, access to water & energy, environmental protection, and economic & social development, particularly the employability of women and youth. The New York Transit Museum uses their connection to trains and transportation to unlock opportunities for youth with autism to connect with their peers and to get skills they need to connect to future careers,” said Anne-Cecile Barbier, CSR Director and Alstom Foundation General Secretary. “We could not ask for a more dedicated partner organization and look forward to supporting the Museum as they expand on the programming they provide for older teens and young adults.”

Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University Simon Baron-Cohen suggests that trains are a common special interest among people with autism because people with autism “have a preference for predictable, systematic information.” Adults with ASD experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment compared to their peers that do not have ASD. The New York Transit Museum is working to address these challenges and create engaging pathways towards meaningful careers. The programs offered by the New York Transit Museum align with the Alstom Foundation’s continued commitment towards local communities.

The Alstom Foundation’s support will help the New York Transit Museum continue their program Transit Quest, a five-day intensive camp for youth ages 14-17, and launch a pilot program for young adults ages 15-21 titled Transit Quest Propel, which focuses on career pathways. Both Transit Quest and Transit Quest Propel programs include immersion into the New York City transit system, group collaboration and exercises, and inter- and intra-personal skills development. Alstom Foundation funds will support program expenses in 2024-2025, from staff costs to scholarships for low-income participants and more. Today’s announcement follows a long-standing partnership between Alstom and the New York Transit Museum. Alstom has been a longtime corporate member and sponsor of the Museum.

“We are delighted that the Alstom Foundation has recognized the incredibly important role that the Transit Museum plays in the lives of both New York families and New Yorkers with disabilities,” said  Dani Simons, Alstom Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Americas and Alstom promoter of the project. “New York City is an important hub for Alstom with over 300 employees in the Tri-State area, and we are proud of our long-standing relationship with the Transit Museum and to be able to support this important project that will help open doors for New York City youth.”

“Like so many of the young people we serve, the New York Transit Museum finds transportation inspiring,” said New York Transit Museum Director Concetta Bencivenga. “We’re honored to receive this support from the Alstom Foundation enabling us to continue to provide a supportive environment for teens to connect through their love of transit and to further explore what a career in the transportation sector could look like.”

The New York Transit Museum is the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history and one of the premier institutions of its kind in the world. The Museum explores the development of the greater New York metropolitan region through the presentation of exhibitions, tours, educational programs, and workshops dealing with the cultural, social, and technological history of public transportation. Since its inception over forty years ago, the Museum – which is housed in a historic 1936 IND subway station in Downtown Brooklyn – has grown in scope and popularity. For nearly 25 years, the Transit Museum has also operated a Gallery & Store in Grand Central Terminal. To learn more about the Museum’s access programs, visit their website.

Created in 2007, the Alstom Foundation supports and funds projects proposed by Alstom employees who partner with NGOs and non-profit organizations to carry out initiatives aimed at improving the living conditions of communities located near the Group’s facilities and project sites around the world. The Foundation’s projects focus on four areas: mobility, environmental protection, energy and water, and socio-economic development.

Alstom™ is a protected trademark of the Alstom Group.

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