Paraquad’s Youth Group: Passionately Working with Kids with Disabilities
Since 1985, our youth group program has opened opportunities for young people with disabilities. Participants explore independent living concepts, find their voice and discover new ideas. Paraquad has become a safe space for young people in the St. Louis area — read on to learn how to begin working with kids with disabilities, or enroll someone you know in one of our disability support groups.
Our Youth Group
Paraquad’s youth group is available for people ages 12 to 21 years old. Participants spend their time developing social, self-advocacy and independent living skills.
The youth group meets monthly, on the morning of every second Saturday during the school year (September-May). During the summer (June-August), we provide participants with real-life experiences, such as shopping, cooking and taking public transportation. Each session focuses on a new topic, such as disaster preparedness, first aid and taking care of your mental health.
While we teach valuable skills, we also take time to make each meeting fun. Having fun often includes playing games such as Mario Kart and bowling together. However, activities change throughout the year — for example, in December, our youth group plans to bake and decorate cookies together.
Our staff members are working with kids with disabilities out in the community as well. Occasionally, we plan group outings to new locations in the St. Louis area. Recently, we took participants to the Saint Louis Science Center as well as the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. All outings are free of charge, apart from lunch.
Unlike many other disability support groups in the area, Paraquad provides free transportation for all participants. We pick participants up from their homes, take them to Paraquad or any other location we may be attending and drop them off after the session ends.
Paraquad’s Latest Success Story
We help build friendships and a recent experience is a testament to our success. One of our participants, a 15-year-old on the autism spectrum, was struggling to make friends at her school. Since joining our program over a year ago, she learned how to connect with others and navigate social groups. As a result of the work we did together, she made a few friends at school.
She loves the program so much that she wants to involve Paraquad in major life events. She attended our end-of-summer party at Paraquad this year, where we celebrated with pizza, t-shirt decorating and group activities. She felt so at home that by the end, she requested to have her birthday party at Paraquad.
Like so many others, she is an example of growth coming out of our disability support groups — working with kids with disabilities helps them grow in their independence.
Join the Youth Group
There are plenty of youth programs in the St. Louis area, but ours stands apart due to the independent living philosophy that guides us. We want our participants to make their own decisions and receive equal access to information. Beyond that, we want parents to feel prepared for what the future holds.
Currently, a number of staff members and volunteers run the program. However, many of our participants have high support needs — we’re always looking for passionate volunteers to help us expand our disability support groups further.
To enroll someone you know in our youth group program or begin working with kids with disabilities yourself, contact Youth and Family Supervisor Stephanie McDowell at smcdowell@paraquad.org or 314-289-4265.
