"Get out there and help people"

Matthew Boux is a 16-year-old Winnipegger that's setting out to change the world.

Boux was diagnosed with autism before his second birthday. 15 years later, and he's become an outspoken advocate for autism.

In October, Boux decided to start a Facebook page to bring awareness to the reality of autism to the rest of the world.

"I feel that there's just too much stigma around people with autism. People think untrue things about people with autism, and I wanted to break some of that stigma, and show that people with autism can be successful."

Boux has certainly been succesful. In just 10 months his page has amassed over 36,000 likes, and over 38,000 people follow the page. "It took a lot of work. I've shared my story a lot, and I write about my experiences with autism. It just struck a lot of people, and it gets shared."

For the most part it's been a positive experience. "There have been a few trolls, but anybody's going to get that on things like Facebook. 99.9% of the people are awesome."

One of the biggest misunderstandings about people with autism, Boux says, is "people think that people with autism aren't smart, or they misbehave badly. In fact, when an autistic person acts out, it's usually because they're having trouble communicating their needs or what they want." That's a big reason why Boux speaks out. He knows that he's fortunate to be able to communicate as well as he can, and wants to bring a voice to those who can't.

It's no surprise, then, that one of Boux's role models is Craig Kielburger. Kielburger is the co-founder of WE Day, which is a celebration of youth making a difference in their local and global communities.

"I've been [to WE Day] twice to watch it with my school . . . it's so cool. And I dream of speaking there one day." Boux certainly seems to fit what WE Day is all about.

He has simple advice when asked how others can make a difference in their local and global communities: "Just go out there and help people. Be the best person you can be and be respectful. Maybe volunteer, and help people with any sort of disability, because it would mean a lot to them."

You can follow Matthew's page here.