CoorDown Onlus: World Down Syndrome Day 2019 campaign – Reasons to Celebrate | #LeaveNoOneBehind

Reasons to Celebrate, a campaign which highlights the need for equal opportunity for people with Down syndrome around the world on World Down Syndrome Day 2019 #LeaveNoOneBehind | CoorDown Onlus with creative agency SMALL

Going to school, playing sports, hanging out with friends, having a job and living independently as an adult – these aspects of life may appear ordinary to most people, and represent activities that most of us take for granted. But, while these things have also fortunately become a reality for more and more people with Down syndrome, many are still denied – due to inadequate governmental support and continued discrimination – the fundamental opportunities to participate in and enjoy life.

In light of this discrepancy, on World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, FCB Mexico, CoorDown Onlus and SMALL are launching a global awareness campaign called “Reasons to Celebrate,” to highlight how far we are as a society from meeting our equal opportunity obligations towards people with Down syndrome. With the concurrent theme “Leave No One Behind,” the campaign emphasizes that inclusive education, open employment, community participation, independent living and decision-making autonomy represent basic rights that should be guaranteed to everybody.

“The campaign ‘Reasons to Celebrate’ aims at shaking people’s conscience and highlighting how far-off the objectives of full equal rights and opportunities are for all people with Down syndrome,” said Antonella Falugiani, president of CoorDown Onlus. “The very fact that there is the need to celebrate this day means that we still have to work to do for the recognition and promotion of diversity, and for effecting a deep cultural change towards disabilities. Only then ‘no one will be left behind.’”

This year’s World Down Syndrome Day theme links back to the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development – the global plan of action to promote prosperity and wellbeing for all humankind, pledging that “no one will be left behind.” A message that holds true for all people, not only for those with disabilities. Everyone must be given the chance to live a fulfilling life, on an equal basis with others, in all aspects of society. Although significant progress has been made over the years, much more needs to be achieved in order to realize the rights of people with Down syndrome.

“I believe, overall, in diversity. I´ve experienced throughout my entire career how diversity makes for better ideas and better work environments, and therefore for a better society. I like to think about people with Down syndrome not as people with a certain condition, but as part of the diversity that represents all the possibilities of what it means to be human,” said Javier Campopiano, partner and chief creative officer at FCB Mexico. “From that point-of-view, this campaign, represents all those possibilities and the things that are still stopping people with Down syndrome from reaching their full potential: the limitations that society still imposes on them more than their own ones.”

On March 21, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, CoorDown will be represented by Marta Sodano, a 25-year-old woman with Down syndrome, who will participate as a self-advocate at the “Leave No One Behind in Education” Conference organized for World Down Syndrome Day. Together with many other speakers from around the world, Marta will share her story – reflecting those of many other Italian students – and describe the hurdles and milestones of her educational journey. The event will focus on education: the aim is to promote innovative approaches which will provide opportunities for everybody, including people with Down syndrome.

“We have been working with CoorDown on campaigns for World Down Syndrome Day since 2012, and every year together we try to find a new and unexpected perspective. This year, we have decided to arouse curiosity by talking about the other international days celebrated on March 21, and then take people by surprise by explaining the reasons why people with Down syndrome cannot celebrate this day as they would like to. We hope it may contribute to debunking the many biases that are still hindering people with Down syndrome from enjoying the same opportunities of living a full and satisfying life like everybody else,” added Luca Lorenzini and Luca Pannese, executive creative directors at SMALL New York.

The campaign Reasons to Celebrate – available on CoorDown’s YouTube channel (https://bit.ly/2W8hvQm) – was developed in partnership with FCB Mexico and SMALL New York, directed by the Hungarian director Rudolf Péter Kiss and produced by Switzerland’s GOSH* in Budapest, with the participation of actors from four different countries: United Kingdom, Albania, Switzerland and Italy. The international campaign was also launched with DSi – Down Syndrome International and had the contribution of Down Syndrome Australia, Down Syndrome Association (UK), Down Syndrome Albania Foundation and the Swiss associations Art21 Association Romande Trisomie 21 and Progetto Avventuno.

About World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD)

World Down Syndrome Day is an international event – created by Down Syndrome International and officially designated by a UN resolution – which is organized to raise a greater public awareness of what Down syndrome is, to bring about a new culture of diversity and to promote the respect and social inclusion of all people with Down syndrome.

Choosing March 21 as the date for WDSD was not random: Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by having three, rather than two, #21 chromosomes present in every cell.

About CoorDown Onlus

Coordinamento delle associazioni delle persone con sindrome di Down was created in 1987 with the aim of promoting communication actions shared among the various Italian organizations engaging in the protection and promotion of the rights of people with Down syndrome. Today, it is the official representative body interacting with all Institutions. CoorDown promotes National Down Syndrome Day (every second Sunday in October) and World Down Syndrome Day (March 21), where it produces international communication campaigns which, over the years have been awarded 20 Lions – of which 9 are Gold – at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Credits:
Client: CoorDown
Campaign: #LeaveNoOneBehind on World Down Syndrome Day
Name: Reasons to Celebrate
Agency: FCB Mexico
Chief Creative Officer/Partner: Javier Campopiano
Partner Agency: SMALL
Founder/Executive Creative Directors: Luca Lorenzini/Luca Pannese
Creative Directors: Sebastián Regiani/Guido Donadio
Copywriter: Sebastián Regiani
Art Director: Guido Donadio
Production Company: GOSH*
Executive Producer (GOSH*): Natalí Sussman, Lamar Hawkins
Director: Rudolf Péter Kiss
Post Production: Cluster Studio
Agency Producer: Georgette Rivero
Music: Picke Music

Tags:
#LeaveNoOneBehind, #WorldDownSyndromeDay, #WDSD19, FCB Mexico, World Down Syndrome Day, Reasons to Celebrate, CoorDown, Picke Music, World Down Syndrome Campaign, World Down Syndrome Day 2019, World Day of Poetry, International Day of Nowruz, International Day of Forests, United Nation, Digital Campaign, Awareness Campaign, Down Syndrome International, Down syndrome, Global awareness campaign, Leave No One Behind