CoorDown asks the world to 'Assume That I Can' — Eurobest 2024 Grand Prix for Good

CoorDown, the Italian coordination of associations of people with Down syndrome, built its campaign on the sociology of the self-fulfilling prophecy: our negative assumptions about people shape how we treat them, which reinforces those assumptions. The counter-argument it wanted to make was simple — assume people can, and they get more chances in school, work, relationships and communities.

The launch film, by SMALL New York with production company Indiana Production and director Rich Lee, stars Madison Tevlin, a 22-year-old Canadian actress with Down syndrome. Around her, people assume limits — that she cannot achieve the goals others take for granted. Partway through the film a twist forces viewers to think outside the box about who is being held back. The craft was deliberately upbeat: fast editing and music rather than the sombre tone of a typical public-service announcement.

The film ran with a social campaign under #AssumeThatICan that asked people with Down syndrome to share stereotypes they had personally shattered. Within one week the main film passed 150 million views across platforms, and hundreds of outlets worldwide covered the story, including CNN, BBC, Fox News, People magazine, Vogue and Vanity Fair.

The work was honoured across the industry: Eurobest 2024 Grand Prix for Good, two Grand LIAs at the 2024 London International Awards, and the #1 campaign and #1 brand ranking in the 2025 ACT Good Report compiled with WARC — proof that a cause campaign built on pride, not pity, could out-compete commercial work.