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Joy 21

  • Status

    Received: on time

  • Income

    £0.0K

  • Spending

    £0.0K

  • Charity no. 108196
  • Date registered. 17/09/2021

Public benefits

1. To improve the wellbeing of new and expectant parents of a child that has been diagnosed with Down syndrome in Northern Ireland by sharing a message of congratulations, inspiration and joy in our New Parent Congratulations Packs. o The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include the provision of positive and encouraging materials at the

point of diagnosis in maternity hospitals/units across Northern Ireland. Reducing levels of stress and anxiety amongst new parents/carers of those that have Down’s Syndrome. 2. The relief of those in need by reason of youth and disability via providing maternity hospitals with details of local Down syndrome support groups for parents and children for each relevant area across Northern Ireland. o The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include improved access to support for new parents/carers and improved health/wellbeing of young people with Down syndrome through access to local support organisations. 3. Advancements in education via visiting schools in Northern Ireland to inform and educate on the ability and potential of those that have Down syndrome. o The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include improved awareness and positivity surrounding Down’s syndrome. 4. To remove discrimination of those that have Down syndrome and improve acceptance of diversity within the education system. o The direct benefits which flow from this purpose include reduced stigma and discrimination towards those that have Down’s syndrome. These benefits are evidenced through feedback from families who have received one of our New Parents Congratulations Packs, and from local health professionals who we will work with to deliver our purposes. Our purposes do not lead to harm. The organisation’s beneficiaries are: Parents/carers of those with Down's Syndrome and children/young people that have Down's syndrome. There are no private benefits flowing from the organisation’s purposes.

What your organisation does

Our mission is share the message of joy and positivity to all new and expectant parents of a child that just happens to have Down syndrome. Joy 21 has partnered with the American charity PALS to bring their wonderful ‘Congratulations Project’ books here to Northern Ireland, to be given to all new and expecting parents of babies that have Down

Syndrome. Each book contains hand written letters by young people with DS, in which they congratulate and encourage new parents. They aim to reassure parents that their baby will bring them so much joy, and have a truly fulfilled life. Our proceeds go towards producing our New Parents Congratulations Packs which contain the Congratulations book, along with the details of local support groups for that area, and some gifts for the new parents/arrival. We have begun distributing our New Parents Congratulations Packs to maternity hospitals across NI and aim to continue until all units have received them. We have also posted over 60 packs to parents directly who have got in touch with us either via referral from a health professional, email or through our socials. Along side distributing packs we have also spoken at 2 local schools via virtual assemblies due to covid restrictions. In these talks we discussed what Down Syndrome is, relayed positive stories from young people and adults that have DS. The aim of this is to break down barriers, remove stigma and help prevent discrimination of those with disabilities. We will continue to reach out to schools, via our various contacts in education to share our message of positivity.

The charity’s classifications

  • The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage

Who the charity helps

  • Carers
  • Learning disabilities
  • Parents

How the charity works

  • Counselling/support
  • Disability
  • Human rights/equality

Charitable purposes

1. To improve the wellbeing of new and expectant parents of a child that has been diagnosed with Down syndrome in Northern Ireland by sharing a message of congratulations, inspiration and joy. - Via working with partner organisations to provide positive and encouraging materials at the point of diagnosis in maternity hospitals/units across Northern Ireland. 2. The relief of those in need by reason of youth and disability. o Via providing maternity hospitals with details of local Down syndrome support groups for parents and children for each relevant area across Northern Ireland. 3. Advancements in education via visiting schools in Northern Ireland to inform and educate on the ability and potential of those that have Down syndrome. 4. To remove discrimination of those that have Down syndrome and improve acceptance of diversity within the education system.

Governing document

Constitution

Other name

List of regions

  • In Northern Ireland

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