Enzo and Keenan spread Awareness

Participants Spotlight

You often hear about how GiGi’s Playhouse is a place of acceptance, growth and inclusion, well this truly a great story of that.

Meet the outgoing GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego participants, Enzo and Keenan. This duo met at La Jolla High then got reacquainted while navigating their time through the San Diego Unified School District T.R.A.C.E. program. (https://trace.sandiegounified.org/home)

One day while at T.R.A.C.E, Keenan invited Enzo to join him during the GiGi’s Fantastic Friends night. Fantastic Friends is a GiGi’s signature gathering that focuses on enhancing social skills, peer interaction, communication, language, creativity, fine motor and gross motor skills. Its a great way to learn while having fun. It was the perfect segue and awareness encouragement Keenan used for a program that has shown him true acceptance.

Keenan has been participating in GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego programs since his teenage years with Teentastic, Music Therapy with Resounding Joy (https://resoundingjoyinc.org/), and then onto GiGi’s Kitchen. Keenan wanted to share this with his best buddy Enzo!

From that first Fantastic Friends, Enzo was hooked thanks to his friend Keenan and he now attends Fantastic Friends and GiGi’s Kitchen regularly.

As mentioned earlier GiGi’s Playhouse’s programs are geared towards the learning abilities of individuals with Down syndrome however this does not mean we are an exclusive club but inclusive to all especially if it encourages awareness and acceptance for all.

Oh the story does not end here. One day Enzo asked if he and Keenan could share GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego with their fellow classmates at T.R.A.C.E with a group tour. This self-advocacy skill is a vital component of which allows for not only independence but owner ship as they planned the tour day with assistance. Enzo took the lead in communicating with the Site Manager at GiGi’s while Keenan assisted in showing off his special GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego. While presenting Enzo shared how he got involved and wanted to do more volunteering and Keenan shared his favorite programs in pure Keenan jokester fashion.

The tour was a hit with much gratitude and thanks to Enzo and Keenan for bringing that awareness to GiGi’s Playhouse San Diego.