Rhapsody in blue

On April 2nd, World Autism Awareness Day, the Palace of Culture and Science and the Śląsko-Dąbrowski bridge in Warsaw were illuminated in blue. On April 3rd, another 30 buildings were also lit up in Warsaw and more than 100 throughout the whole country.

The buildings included those from the management portfolios of Colliers International, JLL, Knight Frank, Golub Gethouse, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, BNP Paribas Real Estate, REINO Partners, Echo Polska Properties and Savills. “Colliers is once again taking part in the ‘Blue for Autism’ campaign together with the owners of the buildings we manage. I hope that this campaign will raise awareness of autism and as a result those that find themselves on the autism spectrum will be able to benefit from greater understanding and acceptance by Polish society. After all, diversity should be our greatest asset,” says Monika Rajska-Wolińska, the managing partner of Colliers International in Poland. Representatives of the industry were also personally involved in recording a video, while dressed in blue, with Eurobuild TV, promoting the #ŚwiecimyNaNiebiesko [#LightItUpBlue] campaign.

“Knight Frank every year gives its active support to the Synapsis Foundation. As part of the #ŚwiecimyNaNiebiesko campaign, we not only illuminate selected buildings managed by Knight Frank for World Autism Awareness Day, but we also make a point of dressing in blue. We wish to support children and adults with autism, as well as their families and loved ones. This is an important campaign for us because it draws attention to an issue that has been neglected for many years. As the awareness of autism grows, the involvement of real estate companies in the campaign has also risen,” claims Mart Tinc, the head of human resources at Knight Frank.

Over the month meetings were held with autism specialists across Warsaw, including in the Centrum Kreatywności Targowa [Targowa Creativity Centre], Warsztat Warszawski [the Warsaw Workshop] and Miejsce Aktywności Lokalnej [the Local Activity Place] in Ursynów. A special tram loaded with educational materials also travelled through the city, on which consultations were held with specialists from the Synapsis Foundation and Poradnik Autystyczny [Autistic Guidance]. A charity art auction that took place in the National Museum also proved popular

Autism is a disorder that can be diagnosed in early childhood, often before the age of three. It affects social abilities and communication skills, as well as play and rigid behavioural patterns. Those with the condition are now described as being on a spectrum that includes autism and Asperger's syndrome as well as a number of other developmental disorders.