The social group for autistic students at Swansea University.

The Eureka Social group is a great opportunity for autistic students to meet new friends. The group is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment to all students who either have an autism diagnosis, are pursuing a diagnosis, or who identify as autistic.

We aim to make the group as fun as possible for all who attend – so this is not a support group. Members of the group are encouraged to offer suggestions on what they would like to do throughout the term. Some of these activities in the past have been –

• Quizes & boardgame nights
• Trips to ‘Lazerzone’ in Swansea City Centre
• Film & pizza nights
• Going for food in a local pub or restaurant
• Fancy dress parties

The difference Eureka can make to students can be huge. We recently collected feedback from our students on what the group meant to. Here is a selection of their responses and feedback –

”It gives some time to relax and talk [to students] like myself.  Whenever I talk in public I feel like I’m putting on a mask and have to be blurred version of myself, the eureka group just feels natural to me”

“Everyone is so nice, people make sure you are ok, your thoughts are always respected, never excluded”

“It is good to meet other autistic people.  It is nice to have a social group where you fit in better”

“I can meet new friends with the same social boundaries and I can also be myself in a safe non-judgemental environment”

“In the group I met many friends who for 2^nd year I moved into a house with”

You will always be welcome at Eureka whilst you study at Swansea.

The group is safe space to socialise and make friends. If this is your first time coming, please feel free to bring someone with you if this will help you feel settled. Please feel free to make the staff aware it is your first time and they will be happy to introduce you to others. We are always happy to meet you before the group starts to prevent you from walking into the group on your own – we know that walking into a room full of people you don’t know can be a very scary thing!

While there is no real need to be scared, we are happy to do what we can to minimase any anxiety you may have about coming along.

When you attend, you do not need to sign in or give your name. Some weeks we may do things like order a pizza or go out to restaurants or to places like the cinema, bowling or lazerzone. If you come on one of these weeks, you will need to bring your own money to pay for what we plan to do. What we do on a given week is always stipulated in an email at the start of the week – to give members notice of what the plan is. We always welcome suggestions for activities or events – so please feel free to make a suggestion at any time!