Iris Beijar is a senior at Wasatch High School in Heber City. She recently launched a project called SkillSwap — it’s a website and YouTube channel where teens with autism spectrum disorder can share videos teaching skills or discussing hobbies they love.
Beijar said SkillSwap was inspired by her brother Daniel, who has autism. She said he loves sharing his interests with her.
“As soon as he shares something with me, I can see how his face lights up and how he just loves talking about it, and I've really seen how that has boosted his confidence,” Beijar.
Most recently, Daniel has been interested in baking, and he tells Beijar about new pound cake or cookie recipes he’s tried. Before that, Beijar said he was interested in magic and would show her a new trick every day.
SkillSwap is a Girl Scout of the United States of America Gold Award project, similar to Boy Scouts of America’s Eagle Scout Merit Badge, and requires over 80 hours of dedicated time.
Beijar said she earned her Girl Scouts Silver Award in eighth grade through a project to collect canned goods for Door of Hope. The organization helped families experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“That was a super rewarding experience for me,” she said. “It was a good introduction to what a Gold Award could look like, but I really wanted to see myself take an initiative on a project that I was leading and that I could see a measurable impact from.”
Beijar said she saw something similar when working with a classmate who has autism. She said during a woodshop class her junior year, she helped this classmate apply putty and sand the edges of a box they were building.
“I noticed how intently he listened, and I wondered how many times he had had to listen, and how that skill could have translated into his own skill for teaching,” she said.
Seeing how sharing interests has boosted the confidence of those around her, Beijar wanted to provide a broader opportunity for teens with autism to share their skills. So, SkillSwap was born.
Beijar said many people with autism struggle with confidence and social connections. She hopes the platform will give teens with autism a voice and a way to connect with others.
To participate in the project, teens and their families can submit a video approval form on SkillSwap’s website.
Beijar is hoping to get more teens involved so she can complete her Gold Award by December. But that doesn’t mean the project will stop. Beijar said a special education teacher at Wasatch High plans to pick up the project and use it in the classroom.
