Re-imagining Your World Down Syndrome Day Celebrations


By Jen Franklin Kearns, ds-connex team member

Many organizations and community groups have plans to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day in a big way. Unfortunately, health concerns are causing wrinkles in those plans, and most events have been canceled. While gathering together to recognize World Down Syndrome Day is preferred in most cases, a cancellation doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t acknowledge this important day. With social media, we can still unite together on 3/21 to raise awareness and acceptance for Down syndrome.

Here is a list of ideas we have compiled to help you brainstorm fun ways for your organization to commemorate World Down Syndrome Day online:

  • Create a hashtag and encourage your members to include it on each of their posts.
  • dsconnex Facebook frame for World Down Syndrome Day

  • Create a profile photo frame for Facebook. (Please note: Facebook does need time to approve your design, so this should be done ASAP.) You can also use the ds-connex WDSD profile frame to spread awareness!
  • Invite members/community members to make fun videos and send them to your organization to post on Facebook.
  • Invite members/community members to schedule a time to go live on Facebook to read a story or share information about Down syndrome.
  • Invite members to send in photos to be included in a video compilation.
  • Encourage your community to tag your organization in posts on Facebook and Instagram so they can be reshared.
  • Create a printable that families can print and hold in their photos and videos (or they can write the hashtag you create for 3/21 on a piece of paper if they don’t have access to a printer, are out of ink, etc)
  • Have a “virtual sock hop” and encourage your members to hold a dance party at home in their mismatched socks. You can create a playlist to share with your members, and they can tag your organization in their videos on social media. (The free version of Spotify allows you to build and share a playlist!)
  • To add to the fun, you may want to consider having a drawing for e-gift cards (Starbucks, Amazon, John’s Crazy Socks, and Grubhub all have digital card options) for those who send in or tag photos/videos on 3/21. This will encourage participation and add to the celebratory vibe of the campaign.
  • dsconnex printable sign for World Down Syndrome Day

    Click here to download the ds-connex World Down Syndrome Day sign.  

    You can follow along on our Facebook and Instagram, where we are sharing ideas that were submitted to us for our World Down Syndrome Day giveaway, to collect ideas for next year. We’re sharing ideas daily, and at the end of the week we’ll post an album containing all of the entries on Facebook, and the entries will also be featured in an Instagram story on Friday.

    We realize that many will be disappointed because highly anticipated events must be canceled in order to observe public health guidelines and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t come together and find a way to unite and share a positive message about Down syndrome. In the end, it’s not really how we celebrate but why, and we can certainly move forward with plans to share this message online.

       


    Comments are closed.