Summer Skills is a special offshoot of our Holland House program that teenagers who are still in the school familiar with a day program setting with the hope that they will join Holland House in the future as they age out of their respective schools. while allowing our year-round participants an opportunity to take a break from their school-like program and focus more on building relationships and learning about their community. Summer Skills focuses on socioemotional skills of our participants, adults and teens. Social and emotional development skills are essential for people with disabilities and special needs to be able to effectively and safely navigate the world around them. A world that is oftentimes, not created with their needs in mind. We give our participants the opportunity to engage in on campus learning that requires them to collaborate and engage with others while learning how to express themselves and engage in a group setting. We also place a huge emphasis on community engagement and visibility. For communities to be truly inclusive we as advocates must be willing to be the bridge between our friends with special needs and our communities. We do this through recreational and educational outings and community service projects. We also invite various providers and community members to join us on campus for specific programming.