What is 'YES21!' ?

YES21! is a program for our young adults. It is about having fun and socializing at an organized event. Our young adults have enjoyed everything from game nights to Halloween Parties and Valentine Dinners. We’ve gone to the movies and held barbecues! We even went horseback riding. The chaperoned events are structured to create lots of fun and wonderful opportunities for engagement. When we began the goal was to hold one event per month, but the pandemic made that impossible. We’re back now though, with high hopes for 2023.

Where does the name 'YES21!' come from?

Our full name is ‘Young Elite Society’ and the ‘21’ represents both the transition into adulthood and the Down syndrome chromosome. But we like calling ourselves YES21!

Who can be a part of YES21! ?

Any individual in our CRDSS family who is age 18 and above is welcome to be a part of YES21! The YES21! young adults are a great group and having cool opportunities to socialize, grow friendships, and share with others is wonderful. It’s all about creating activities to stay socially engaged and have fun. If you'd like to speak with someone about the program, reach out to YES21! program administrator Lauren Smith at lauren@crdss.org.

Some YES21! Program Details

• All organized YES21! events will be promoted to the CRDSS member households and RSVPs are required for all attendees so we can best plan.
• Costs associated with the event such as tickets, venues, group transportation, speaker honorariums, organized meals, etc are covered by CRDSS. Personal expenses such as local transportation, parking charges, costumes, snacks at movies, etc are the individual responsibility of the family.
• ​If the participating young adult needs special assistance with anything for a YES21! event, they need to be accompanied by an adult/guardian.
• ​We are seeking Guest Hosts to fill out the 2023 schedule, so let us know if you have interest. Details on Guest Hosts program >
• To speak with someone at CRDSS, email Executive Director Lauren Smith and she'll set you up!

Our 2023 Events

Planning for the 2023 season is underway. We are looking for "Guest Hosts" to help plan and develop events.
Details on Guest Hosts program >

"CLOWNING AROUND" Workshop

Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
PSU School of Theatre Building, Room 114
Event Flyer >​
Registration Required >

Movie Night - CHAMPIONS

Tuesday, March 12, 2023, 6:50 - 9:00 pm
UEC Theatre 12, Premier Road, State College​
Registration Required >

Our 2022 Events

Games, Music, Dancing & Pizza!
Cancelled

Saturday, November 5, 2022, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Buffalo Run Farm, 2929 Buffalo Run Rd, Bellefonte, PA 16823​
Dress up as your favorite person, hero, villain or friend, mom or dad or anyone you've always wanted to be!
Pizza Dinner provided, bring your Favorite Board Game. We'll have Music for Dancing too.
Direct RSVP and questions to organizer Margie Fisher

More Disc Golf with the State College Disc Golf Club

Friday, July 22, 2022, 5:30 - 7pm
Circleville Disc Golf Course, 3225 Circleville Rd, Port Matilda​
Bring a Water Bottle
For questions contact Fara Lippincott, organizer at fara@faldesign.net
Registration Required >

Learn to Play Disc Golf with the State College Disc Golf Club

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Movie Night! Jurassic World: Dominion at UEC Theatres in State College

Tuesday June 14, 2022

Expression Through Voice - a workshop

Friday May 13, 2022 - Postponed​
Penn State University, 304 Ford Building, University Park. (Parking details will be provided to those that RSVP.)
Description
In this session we will learn how our voices work and the wonderful things our voices can do. We will use our voices for activities including acting and singing. Please come, share your voice, and join in the fun.
Instructor
​​Megan Stradtman is a Speech Language Pathologist and current Doctoral Candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Penn State University.