OUR MISSION IS TO SUPPORT INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
With a special focus on Down syndrome, towards the maximum development of their potential, their families towards the well-being of the child and society towards inclusiveness.
Our vision
We Intend That Each Individual Who Enters The Center Embrace The Individuality With Which They Were Created And Experience God's Unconditional Love!
Our Style
With Love
We do everything with love, serving first those in need and neglected by society.
Comprehensive
We welcome every child, every family, every volunteer or partner regardless of tradition, background, color, race or gender.
Excellence
We develop individually in our areas of expertise, maintain high work ethics and follow standardized processes from the first meeting with the family, daily work with children, approach and cooperation with colleagues, volunteers, visitors, participation in projects or approach to partners .
Innovator
We dare and innovate when it comes to the achievements of individuals with Down Syndrome and community awareness.
Impact during 2023
During 2023, we have served over 230 families with various services.
Launch of SNAP Atelier & Café
We are happy to share that, on our 15th anniversary, we opened a second location and established the SNAP (Special Needs Albania Program) center. The center aims to become a Social Enterprise, which will serve as a center for vocational training and employment of our youth with special needs as they grow out of therapeutic interventions.
Coffee Shop, where young people with special needs will be trained in the following positions:
· Barista
· Customer service
· Maintenance
Atelier, in the production of postcards and other paper products by young people with special needs.
Key Events
The Jonathan Center is a non-profit organization, registered in 2011 in the Court of Tirana and since December 2011 the official representative of Down Syndrome International in Albania.
We discover the colors of life hidden behind an extra chromosome!
The Jonathan Center offers its services through a well-qualified staff, but has an open door for anyone who will voluntarily contribute to the fulfillment of its vision.
Night To Shine
Night to Shine, is an unforgettable prom experience centered on God's love for people with special needs, ages 14+. Night to Shine is sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation and is organized in Albania, through the local church ICF Tirana in collaboration with the Jonathan Center. The first Night to Shine event in the world took place in 2014 and in Tirana in 2017. This year we celebrated 8 years of Night to Shine in Albania and we are very happy that thanks to this event we have the opportunity to celebrate every individual with special needs, so that they feel loved, valued, valued, unique, just as we believe we were created.
World Down Syndrome Day
March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day. This particular date was chosen due to the similarity of the numbers with trisomy 21 (21;3). On this day, public activities are organized in many countries of the world with the aim of sensitizing and informing the community about Down Syndrome. For the first time, Albania, through the Jonathan Center, became part of these celebrations on March 21, 2012.
Every March 21, Down Syndrome International launches a theme, according to which the activities and campaigns organized are oriented and focused. This March 21 the theme was "Stop Stereotypes" and our campaign, throughout the month of March, focused on producing several videos with young people with Down Syndrome, where we presented different examples of stereotypes about Down Syndrome and how to break them .
A stereotype is a set of ideas/thoughts that people have or create about how something or someone is. Stereotypes can be positive, negative or neutral. Stereotypes can often be based on limited information or personal experiences. They can be reinforced by the way something is represented in the media or by cultural messages. Once formed, a stereotype can be difficult to change.
Our partners over the years...
