PALS Programs – which brings together 40 young adults with Down syndrome and 40 peer volunteers – just finished a week building friendship, confidence, and belonging across New York City.
Founded in 2004, PALS Programs creates inclusive camp experiences for people with and without Down syndrome through a volunteer-led model centered on one-to-one peer pairings between similarly aged participants, organizers said.
Each pair is placed on a small team led by trained volunteer leaders, creating an immersive environment where campers live together in university dorms at Fordham in the Bronx, participate in on-campus activities, explore local communities, and build lasting friendships.
This summer the peers and volunteers spent seven days and six nights together experiencing the very best of New York City. The group visited Times Square, Coney Island and rode the Staten Island Ferry.
The week concluded with a letter-writing initiative, The Congratulations Project, where adults with Down syndrome wrote personal letters to new and expecting parents receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis for their child. Each letter begins with the same simple but powerful message: “Congratulations.”
The initiative seeks to reshape the narrative surrounding Down syndrome by centering the voices and lived experiences of people with Down syndrome themselves.
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