Welcome to the ACT Down Syndrome Association.
On our site you will find news and information for members of the Association, as well as information about Down syndrome and links to other useful sites.
Ours is a small but active Association. Please be sure to return to this site regularly to see what’s happening!
Our General Committee Meetings are open for any member to attend – please come along whenever you want to and feel free to contribute ideas and thoughts about events you would like to see happen and the direction you would like to see the ACT DSA go.
Meetings are held each month on a rotating roster as following:
Meetings start at 7 pm in the large meeting room of Building 1, Pearce Community Centre, Collet Place, Pearce opposite the Pearce shops and usually finish by 10 pm.
There are many benefits of becoming a member of the ACT Down Syndrome Association. These include:
For more details about Membership Benefits, please click here. You can join the ACTDSA via the form on this page.
The Alderson awards were presented by our patron Annette Ellis at our Award dinner on March 21.
Congratulations to the nominees for the:
Alderson Family Award:
Peter Bartholomew
Jarrad Brinkman
Ehren Keys
Hayley Richards
Kate Louise Alderson Award:
Toni Minto
Margaret Campbell and Salli Higgins (joint nomination)
The Nominees
And the winners are:
Ehren Keys – Alderson Family Award
Margaret Campbell and Salli Higgins- Kate Louise Alderson Award
The ACTDSA is proud to present three workshops in May 2013 for parents, carers and professionals.
Playing To Their Strengths
Early Childhood UpdateThe ACT DSA Confident Speaker’s Program has been operating since 1994 as an informal learning activity meeting on a regular basis. It has now been revamped into a formal development program based on the Unit: Make Presentations (CUSGEN05A) which is a component of the nationally endorsed CUS01 Music Training Package. This unit includes the skills and knowledge required to make effective presentations for many different purposes using a range of media and is highly relevant to the group. It will continue to be friendly, participative and supportive.
This program is designed for anyone above the age of 15 and is tailored to suit people of all abilities, so everyone is welcome to participate: parents, siblings, other family members and friends- anyone who is keen to learn how to speak in front of others or wants to overcome their fears of public speaking. There are no prerequisites other than a desire to improve your presentation skills.
| Date | Topic | Host |
| 31 January | Tell us a funny story about Christmas | David |
| 28 February | The best job in the world | Miles |
| 28 March | Health and beauty tips | Mike |
| 25 April | An adventure I’d like to take | Chris M |
| 30 May | Cooking tips / my favorite recipe | Mark |
| 27 June | Cleaver ways to use technology | Peter |
| 25 July | My favorite move/TV star | Chris K |
| 29 August | The great debate – cats make a better pet than dogs | Loretta |
| 26 September | Fun things to do in Canberra in the winter | Greg |
There is no cost, but participants take it in turn to provide supper.
Confident Speakers meets on the last Thursday of the Month at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm at the Pearce Community Centre, Building 1 and the program is advertised at http://actdsa.org.au/category/confident-speakers/. Families, friends and prospective participants are welcome to come along and see how the program operates. RSVP to David Williams is preferred, but not mandatory.
Participants will get a workbook to plan and track their progress and will earn a certificate on successful completion of the program. But more importantly, you will have overcome the number one fear that the average person has. In doing so, you will have developed the skills, knowledge and experience to get up and speak in front of a group of people.
The ACT Down Syndrome Charity Masquerade ball was held in August and proved to once again be a wonderful night. Old Parliament House was a cosy and stylish venue with delicious food provided by Ginger Catering.
The band Hitparade provided a great dancing atmosphere with old and new favourites. It was wonderful to see individuals with Down Syndrome from the group homes attend the night. We can definitely learn a few dance moves from them! Thank you to all who supported the night.
The successes of Confident Speakers continues, over the last 3 months,
Peter, a young adult spoke at the parents ACT therapy morning tea and shared photos of his life and what he is doing now.
Michael spoke in public for the first time at the ACTDSA charity ball.
Ruth, a school student spoke at the Down Syndrome International conference held in South Australia in August this year.
We are looking forward to the “ACT DSA members and friends, picnic and games” day to be held on Saturday 27 October from 10am – 2pm. The day will be filled with novelty games, line dancing, cup cake making, a DJ and sausage sizzle provided by Lions Club Belconnen! come along and join,what will be an exciting and fun filled day.
We look forward to seeing you there!
2013 Workshop Series- May
May 16- Playing To Their Strengths At Home
May 16- Playing To Their Strengths For Teachers
May 17- Early Childhood Update
Click here for registration details
© 2013 ACT Down Syndrome Association. All Rights Reserved.
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