Summer Wonders

Summer Wonders was developed during the 2021-2022 school year and piloted over eight days in August 2022. Our goal was to create an integrated and individualized on-site experience for PCDI students, as traditional community activities, like summer camps, remained inaccessible to a large portion of our student population.

To maximize learning opportunities, our season expanded to span two, full weeks, included 24 peer volunteers, and one college-intern. Our peer volunteers were comprised of 14 returning peer volunteers from our 2022 season, and 10 new peer volunteers which included close family and friends of our PCDI community.  

Preschool and elementary-aged children were split into two groups. Lessons and activities were designed to encourage children to share and learn information about each other, and to invite interaction and cooperation through open-ended play, art, science, and gross motor activities.  

Middle and high school students participated in group activities focused on using verbal and non-verbal cues to learn about others’ interests, identifying and utilizing others’ strengths during cooperative team challenges, and practicing sportsmanship through a variety of head-to-head competitions and games.

Though we began Summer Wonders with the intention of building a community that was safe and accepting for PCDI learners, we simultaneously created something we did not anticipate: a groundwork for our peer volunteers to shift and re-shape their conceptualization of how individuals with autism contribute and enrich their communities.