BY HIROTO
WATANABE
PALS Virtual Programming Volunteer
My name is Hiroto Watanabe, I’m 23 years old, and I live in Boston. This is my first year volunteering with PALS. I want to share my experience as a first time PALS volunteer to encourage people who might be interested, but who may be hesitant to join. My hope is that someone can read what I wrote, draw a connection to my lack of prior experience, and become encouraged to involve themselves in new communities.
It was not until this year that I became connected to the Down Syndrome community and, more broadly, the disabilities community. I currently participate in a pre-health gap year program called Pathways to Inclusive Health Care for recent college graduates pursuing a career in healthcare. We work with people with disabilities at a day program and take relevant course work so we can become comfortable and familiar treating individuals with developmental differences in the future. Starting that program was like diving into the open ocean: I knew there was nothing to fear, but I wasn’t able to shake off that doubt until I was in the water. What if I mess up on my first day? I haven’t had any interactions with someone with an intellectual disability, so how was I supposed to act? What does it mean if someone has Down Syndrome? I now think of these questions as having obvious answers, but in the beginning, they limited my willingness to interact with people.
“Some people may think of volunteering with PALS as giving up their time to help others, but the PALS experience is a two-way street.”
Day after day, I felt more comfortable as I developed meaningful relationships with the participants in the day program I work at. I am grateful for the warmth and kindness that the participants in the program bring each day. They are welcoming and nonjudgmental, which allows for silly moments and fond memories. The same rings true as I finished my week of PALS virtual programming. Returning participants made new people feel welcomed. They were determined to have a good time and to meet new people, and they didn’t want others to feel embarrassed or left out of the fun.
Some people may think of volunteering with PALS as giving up their time to help others, but the PALS experience is a two-way street. As short as a week may be, there is so much to learn, especially for individuals without a connection to the Down Syndrome community. Everyone is your peer at camp; it is clear that there is no hierarchy. You might not necessarily walk in another person’s shoes, but PALS gives you the opportunity to walk alongside them and to see the world from their vantage point. I encourage everyone I know to volunteer for PALS because it can be a life changing experience.
Why PALS? Because PALS works to achieve something that we all want for ourselves: a feeling of belonging and community. It takes people to make that community, and I’m just happy to be a part of it. The more people we have, the stronger it is.
