Residential Camps

Following a hugely successful pilot project in 2019 the Residential Camp for our young people, aged 12 – 20, will become an annual event. The camp offered intensive, specialist speech and language input from Symbol UK combined with a range of activities, including sports and drama, and the opportunity for our young people to spend time away from home in a safe environment.

The camp provides young people with Down’s Syndrome the opportunity to:

improve their communication skills;
practice skills in making and maintaining relationships, assertion, and self-expression;
encourage the development of relationships between the young people
introduce new and accessible activities in
a supportive and safe environment;
encourage an active participation long after the camps;
have fun and socialise; and
develop independence within the young people.

The camp is organised and overseen by 21 Plus; interventions are delivered by specialist speech therapists from Symbol UK, specialist occupational therapists from Whole Child Therapy and sports coaches accessed via Disability Sport Wales.

Our camps provide opportunities which are often outside the reach of children with disabilities. They encourage new friendships and relationships, which encourages self awareness, confidence and self esteem. We are promoting independence with time away from their families, in a safe and supportive environment. We know that impaired communication skills have a negative impact on the opportunities for children and young people with Down’s syndrome. By improving and increasing those skills we can directly enhance the lives of these children. Many of the children involved in the camps do not have access to regular speech and language therapy. For some, this will be the only input they receive throughout the year.