Who can join?
If you are aged 18-30 and are autistic, or are exploring the possibility you might be, and you are not learning disabled, you can join! There is no need for a formal diagnosis, and although our in-person events are based in and around Croydon you do not need to live in a specific area to be a member.
Our members mostly live, study and/or work in South London but not exclusively. We welcome anyone who’d like to be part of a supportive autistic community.
Do I need a diagnosis?
No – you can join even if you’re not 100% sure you are autistic. We know that many people cannot access a diagnosis or that they may be misdiagnosed. Bias can affect how we are labelled, you do not need a diagnosis to know you are or say you are autistic.
What if I am approaching or over 30?
We’re currently developing our 27+ community, that will crossover with Youth Hub and be open to autistic people who are over 30 too; come and help us! Email us to find out more.
How do I join?
Click here to join our Discord server, you will land in our public lobby and our AYH bot will share a link to the registration form (or you can click here).
Once you’ve filled out the form, you will then be added to our members’ area. Please note that this process is run by humans, not bots, so it can take a little while. If you haven’t gained access within 24 hours, please email hello@autisticyouthhub.org.uk
Why do I have to register?
We believe that asking people to register keeps our community safer. We know it puts some people off, but we think the benefits outweigh this. We ask for demographic information as, candidly, funders expect it and many of the opportunities we offer are generously supported in this way.
We’re not like other online spaces, we think it’s important to hold our community carefully so we ask for next-of-kin in case of an accident or emergency – we never use this unless it is absolutely essential.
Who sees what I put on my registration form?
Your data is held in our secure, password-protected database hosted by hubspot.com and only accessible by A Collective staff and senior volunteers who are trained in confidentiality, data protection and have signed an agreement including a code of conduct.
We do not share personal data with other organisations, even our funders, unless it is wholly anonymised and aggregated so no individual member could be identified.
What is Discord?
In the words of its developers, Discord is a communication platform that allows users to interact through text, voice, and more within user created communities called servers. Free to download and free to use, you can access it through the official website.
Autistic Youth Hub is a digital-first and natively online community centered around our Discord server, organising events (both online and offline), encouraging conversation, and supporting one another via several categories and channels.
There are all kinds of servers for all kinds of interests and hobbies. Gaming, crafting, writing—if you can think of it, there’s likely a community out there on Discord dedicated to it.
Discord has plenty of customisation options to help make your account’s user profile feel more personal to you, including changing your display name, avatar, and custom status. While there can be a lot to explain about getting to grips with Discord, their own Beginner’s Guide to Discord offers the best information to help you get started.
What’s important to know in the context of Autistic Youth Hub and our Discord server is how to treat our space and members while feeling as safe and comfortable as possible. Our registration process contains our community’s code of conduct, but Discord’s own terms of service and guidelines apply simultaneously.
What if I don’t use Discord?
We don’t force anyone to use Discord but we ask that you try – a lot of our community lore and friendship is built there. We do share details of our in-person meets on our Instagram and via our newsletter, and you are welcome to just come to those, once you have registered.
We have a new members’ area supported by our steering team where you can ask for help and support whilst you get used to how it all works.
Do I have to use my real name in the Discord server?
No. While Autistic Youth Hub is a friendly, welcoming space, we understand that privacy can be important (especially online). Only share what you’re comfortable sharing about yourself!
We also have ways you can indicate whether or not you’re open to friend requests and DMs so you can make your personal boundaries very clear.
Do I have to be regularly active?
Members are free to decide how they want to contribute and be present, from lurking quietly to leading conversations. We don’t have any expectations regarding activity levels.
We know life gets hectic at times and people may need to drop in and out according to their health, family, and life pressures – there’s never any penalty or consequence. Come as you are.
Do I need to participate in live sessions and voice calls?
No. If you just want to listen and stay muted, that’s fine with us! There are text chats for every voice channel that you can use to participate in conversations without ever having to use your own voice.
We also try to facilitate text chats in our IRL sessions too – we have a specific channel in the server.