PACER Programs

EX.I.T.E. Camp (EXploring Interests in Technology and Engineering)  
EX.I.T.E. Camp is a 5-day camp in August, where middle school girls with disabilities learn how to do amazing experiments and discover how science, technology, engineering, and math can be cool and exciting. EX.I.T.E. Camp provides a safe and supported environment for hands-on learning as well as a place to meet new friends and create lasting memories. 

Fun Times 
Fun Times is a volunteer program that connects teens and young adults with and without disabilities through social outings. Fun Times participants have attended Saints Games, Twins games, movies, game nights, theater events, and bowling parties. Fill out a Participant Interest Form today!   

Teens Against Bullying  
You can help put an end to bullying. Take an online pledge.  Create a video, a poem, or a piece of art about the power of kindness and enter it for a prize in a “Students with Solutions” contest. Tell your own story about why you care.  Get everyone at your school to wear orange on Unity Day. Organize a “Run, Walk, Roll Against Bullying” event in your community.  Click here to get started!

Youth Advisory Board
All Youth Advisory Board members are transition-age students who either have an IEP for emotional and behavioral disorders, or they have a diagnosis which affects their mental health. Youth Advisory Board members meet monthly at PACER to plan many activities. They give public presentations, participate in volunteer activities related to mental health, and talk to Minnesota’s elected officials about the mental health needs of transition-age youth. By speaking frankly about their experiences with mental health needs, they help people understand the day-to-day struggles of young people who have mental health issues, promote positive change, and develop self-advocacy skills.  Fill out a New Member Application today! 

Minnesota Programs

Minnesota Association of Centers for Independent Living  
Independent living means having personal control over the decisions that are made about your life, including where you live, what kind of work you do, how you get involved in your community, and what you do with your free time. Minnesota is home to 8 Centers for Independent Living. All of them are managed and staffed by people with disabilities who already have experience with independent living, and they can help you learn more about it. Find your local Center for Independent Living today at the map on this website. Ask about what services and activities they offer to students like you, on the journey to becoming an adult, and looking for opportunities to get involved in your community and connect with other students with disabilities!

Minnesota Youth Council  
Minnesota Youth Council (MYC) is a collaboration of young people from across the state of Minnesota who are learning the skills they need to make positive change for young people in their communities. In 2013, MYC became the official “voice of youth” to the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Governor. MYC members participate in youth-led committees, so that they can get information about bills in the Minnesota Legislature that will have an impact on youth. Then they get the chance to talk with Minnesota Senators and Representatives about what they think of the bills before the bills become law. They advocate for young people so that all young Minnesotans can have success in school, work, and life. MYC is a great way to get involved and connect with other transition-age students.