The community of Madrid and the Down Syndrome Foundation of Madrid implemented a training course for volunteers with intellectual disabilities.

Madrid, 2012-may the Minister of Social Affairs of the community of Madrid, Salvador Victoria, and the Chairperson of the Foundation syndrome of Down of Madrid (FSDM), Mary Baron, presented a training course in volunteering for people with intellectual disabilities.

The presentation ceremony took place during a guided tour of the residence of greatest our Lady of Montserrat, where Irene Agudo, a person with Down syndrome, explained how to perform their volunteer work with seniors in this residence.

The Minister of Social Affairs, Salvador Victoria, stressed that it is a work generous and altruistic ” developed by people with intellectual disabilities through the figure of volunteering, covering the needs of older persons, in this case, ”.

We must encourage volunteering in the population, no one should be excluded from voluntary activities, or people with disabilities ”, said the Adviser.

Why, he continued, the volunteer School of the community of Madrid has launched specific courses aimed at persons with disabilities to continue forming them in volunteering issues. There are no barriers to volunteerism in the community of Madrid ”, concluded.

For his part, the President of the Foundation Down syndrome of Madrid, Mary Baron, said that you there are about 30 volunteers in the volunteer program for all of the foundation that began four years ago. According to her, carry out volunteer activities both in nursery schools, in homes for the elderly, or residences of people with Alzheimer’s disease, etc.

Enjoy much, with seriousness and commitment, and dedicate their free time to other ”, said Mary Baron. In this sense, feel that they can help others, above all, when they themselves have been subject to the attention of others, which gives them a great satisfaction and highly motivated in other activities they perform ”.

It is an initiative of opportunities and integration, at the same time that aims to guarantee the right of these people to participate in the social life of their community.

In the Voluntarido project for all that is carried out from the Down Syndrome Foundation of Madrid, 28 persons with intellectual disabilities are doing volunteer work in the community of Madrid, of which 18 are people with Down syndrome. The profile of the volunteers, 16 are women; 18 are between 26 and 35 years and almost two dozen have opted for activities with children; five dedicated attention to older people; a volunteer attends to persons or families with Alzheimer’s, other two help people with physical disabilities and one to people at risk of exclusion.

The first edition of the course ‘ training in creative technical skills for voluntary action by people with intellectual disabilities ’ of the community of Madrid, opens up to 20 boys with Down syndrome, who will receive a 4-hour training. On the other hand, sessions, which have been designed with the advice of the professionals of the FSDM to adapt to the circumstances of the students, will be held during the 10 days and may 24.

FSDM

The Down Syndrome Foundation of Madrid was created in 1989 as a non-profit that promotes, develops and promotes all kinds of activities aimed at the full family, school, employment and social integration of persons with intellectual disabilities and Down syndrome in order to improve the quality of life of this group and their families.