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Project UNIFY

Project UNIFY. Educate Activate Motivate. Introductions/Ice Breaker. What is your name? Where are you from? How long have you been in Special Olympics? Who or What inspired you to become involved? CHOOSE TWO PIECES OF CANDY Reeses - If you could meet a celebrity who would it be?

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Project UNIFY

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  1. Project UNIFY Educate Activate Motivate

  2. Introductions/Ice Breaker • What is your name? • Where are you from? • How long have you been in Special Olympics? • Who or What inspired you to become involved? CHOOSE TWO PIECES OF CANDY • Reeses- If you could meet a celebrity who would it be? • Butterfinger- If you could go visit anywhere in the world where would you go? • Snickers- If you could turn into an animal what would you be? • Twizzler- If you drove your dream vehicle what would it be? • Sweet Tarts- What is your favorite hobby?

  3. Objectives of Youth Activation Why are you here this weekend? • To learn about Special Olympics Project UNIFY and your role as a youth leader • To learn about the youth leadership initiatives and your role on the State Youth Activation Committee (YAC) • To learn how to activate other youth in your school towards the goal of social inclusion • To improve your leadership skills, build your confidence, strengthen your abilities

  4. Agenda Review • Friday: • 7-8pm Project UNIFY: Overview • Saturday: • 7:45-8:45am Breakfast • 8:45-9:30am Opening Session • 9:45-11:45am Project UNIFY: create school action plan/YAP demo • 11:45am-1:30pm Lunch: Fans in the Stands at Softball Tournament • 1:30-2:30pm Youth Activation Council: what is the YAC? • 2:30-3:30pm Youth Activation Council: YAC meeting • 3:45-4:30pm Communications or Unified Sports • 5:00-7:30pm Pizza Party and Bowling!

  5. The Mission of Special Olympics • The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic -type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

  6. What Makes Special Olympics Unique? • No charge to athletes for participation • Awards for all • Opportunities for Advancement to higher levels of competition • Competition available for all ability levels • The way we division the athletes (by gender, ability and age)

  7. Project UNIFY:For the Youth, By the Youth • Project UNIFY is built on the belief that in order to have the greatest impact the change needs to start with young people. • Project UNIFY brings youth with and without intellectual disabilities together through education, sports and related initiatives that provide them with the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to create and sustain school communities that promote the acceptance, respect and human dignity for all students.

  8. Educate • To provide young people with peer-led opportunities to understand their potential and ways of serving as active agents for change in their local, national, and global communities • Nearly 70% of persons with intellectual disabilities have the capacity to function at much higher levels than society’s perceptions allow or encourage. • Awareness: Help society become aware of themisuse of the word “Retard” or “Retarded”

  9. Motivate • To unleash young people’s creative leadership potential to accept, respect and advocate with and for persons with intellectual disabilities. • To change society’s perception…starting with youth.

  10. Activate • To create new youth-led approaches for sharing experiences engaging in community action and policy change. • Position SO as a leader in building acceptance and as a channel for social change with other supporting organizations

  11. Project UNIFY Outcomes • Project UNIFY is displayed through the inclusive friendships formed by youth • Youth become core leaders in action within their schools creating positive change in the schools climate: Youth-Lead Initiatives • Administrators and teachers value young peoples input and opinion, supporting their visions and ideas • Provide students with and without disabilities the skills and avenues to create the desired social change • Policymakers and education leaders develop policies and support quality practices to encourage safe and nurturing learning environments for all students

  12. Youth-lead Initiatives: what does that mean? • Each Project UNIFY school must have a designated School Liaison (teacher, para, administration, etc.) • The liaison acts as a mentor to students • Liaisons offer support and advice • They don’t “do”, they “support” students • A youth leadership groups plan Project UNIFY activities for their school • Partners Club • Work with an existing school club • Honors society • Student Council • Key club • Etc.

  13. What is required of Project UNIFY Schools • Category 1 Schools: “Project UNIFY School” • Involved in ALL of the following: • Whole-School Engagement • Inclusive Sports Opportunities • Inclusive Youth Leadership • Category 2 Schools: “Building Bridges School” • Involved in at least two of the following: • Inclusive Sports Opportunities (required) and • Inclusive Youth Leadership • Whole-School Engagement

  14. Whole-School Engagement: • Whole School Engagement/Awareness is an activity or series of activities (event, rally etc.) that offers the entire student body the opportunity to engage in and be part of Project UNIFY. • These events may include but are not limited to: • R-Word/Spread the Word to End the Word campaigns • School wide sports rallies or rallies for respect • Unified Sports Day/Special Olympics Day where all students can participate • Fans in the Stands • School wide use of Get Into It lessons and resources

  15. Whole School Engagement: R-Word/Spread the Word to End the Word • Youth-lead campaign aimed to raise awareness of about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-Word. • March is disability awareness month • Official Spread the Word to End the Word date in March • SOWY offers resources to hand out at your event: • Spread the Word shirts, pens, pencils, bracelets, etc.

  16. Whole School Engagement: R-Word/Spread the Word to End the Word www.r-word.org –resources available

  17. R-Word Pledges Ideas for campaigns (see handbook)

  18. Whole-School Engagement:Rallies/Assemblies • Rallies/Assemblies are opportunities for young people to educate each other on issues, motivate each other and activate on a set of agreed upon engagement practices. • These events can also be used to promote acceptance and inclusion by honoring Special Olympics athletes and teams. • See “Youth Rally-How To” in handbook.

  19. Whole-School Engagement: Unified Sports Day/Special Olympics Day • Sports teams, clubs or youth leadership groups of students work to plan a Special Olympics Sports Day. • Plan a day around a specific sport: • Run activities • Provide training for S.O. athletes • Ex: Varsity or JV basketball team works with local Special Olympics basketball team to help develop skills and plays. • Unified Sports Day offers opportunities for peers to learn how about Unified Sports opportunities and how fun being a Unified Sports partner can be.

  20. Whole-School Engagement:Fans in the Stands • Fans in the Stands encourages students to support and cheer on S.O. athletes at events. • Fans create posters, cheer at events, organize a pep rally • All students must have the ability to participate as a Fan in the Stands. • Promote events on school bulletin boards • Promote in school paper or announcements

  21. Whole-School Engagement:Get Into It • Online resource for teachers to introduce acceptance • Whole school approach: • Teachers receive standards-aligned, inclusive curriculum • Students with and without ID collaborate on projects and activities through service-learning and experiential-learning • Serves as complement to other school activities such as r-word, Unified Sports® or Fans in the Stands • www.specialolympics.org/getintoit

  22. Whole-School Engagement:Get Into It: Active! • Condensed version of K-12 GII Lessons based on more physical activity and discussions. Designed for less-structured environments (recess, after-school programs, sports teams)

  23. Whole-School Engagement:Get Into It: Movies That Move • Clips from films and TV shows based on themes of Different Abilities, Acceptance, Power of Words, and Youth Leadership with teacher’s guide

  24. Inclusive Sports Opportunities • Unified Sports • Young Athletes Program

  25. Inclusive Sports Opportunities:Unified Sports • Unified Sports is an inclusive program that combines Special Olympics athletes and athletes without intellectual disabilities (Unified Sports partners) as teammates on sports teams for training and competition. • Unified Sports opportunities with SOWY: • Winter Games: Cross Country Skiing • Summer Games: Aquatics, Athletics, B-Ball, Tennis • Golf Tournament • Softball Tournament • Fall Tournament: Bowling, Cycling, Equestrian, Soccer

  26. Unified Sports • Advances the mission through Friendship and Socialization • As with any team, athletes and partners are provided a forum which promotes camaraderie, competition and fun, and leads to long-lasting friendships.

  27. Inclusive Sports Opportunities:Unified Sports • Incentives for school-based Unified Sports teams: • SOWY has secured funds to • Purchase uniforms • Purchase equipment • Offer assistance with facility rental • Check out the resources in your handbook.

  28. Unified Sports • Unified Sports challenges partners’ preconceived notions of what it means to have an intellectual disability as they experience firsthand what Special Olympics athletes are capable of.

  29. Unified Sports Learn more this afternoon at the Unified Sports Session!

  30. Inclusive Sports Opportunities: Young Athletes Program • The Young Athletes Program is for children ages 2 ½ to 7 • YAP kits are sent home with families or used at Physical Therapy sessions • Play Dates focus on physical activity and play, with an emphasis on sports skill development. • Middle/High Schools can get involved: • Host a Play Date • Volunteer at a Play Date in your area • Work with local YAP coordinator

  31. Young Athletes Program The Young Athletes are the Future Stars of Special Olympics • Eligible for Special Olympics at age 8

  32. Inclusive Youth Leadership • Inclusive Youth Leadership and Engagement refers to opportunities for youth with and without intellectual disabilities to become agents of change by providing direction and helping to lead the implementation of Project UNIFY in their school, community, or state. • Become a member of a Partners Club or the YAC • Participate in Jump and Join drives or other fundraisers for Special Olympics • Volunteer for Special Olympics • Student Leadership Group that plans Project UNIFY

  33. Inclusive Youth Leadership:Partners Club • Students with and without disabilities joining together in leisure and recreational activities to promote an atmosphere of unity, acceptance and respect. • These clubs help break down barriers and build new and long-lasting friendships • Responsible for planning Project UNIFY activities at their school

  34. Inclusive Youth Leadership:Youth Activation Council (YAC) • Youth activation councils are groups of youth with and without intellectual disabilities from across the state that work with SOWY to educate, motivate and activate youth to become agents of change in their schools and communities. • Members work with SOWY to develop strategies and offer advice to on how to activate youth in Project UNIFY. • Learn more tomorrow!

  35. Inclusive Youth Leadership:Jump and Join • Groups of students from a Project UNIFY school jump at a local Special Olympics Jackalope Jump. • A really COOL way to raise money for Special Olympics • Get pledges from friends, family and companies for you to jump into some cooooold water! • Challenge classmates to join you! • Jump as a group: wearing a costume theme!

  36. Jump and Join

  37. Inclusive Youth Leadership:Student Leadership Groups • Partners clubs • School YAC • Outreach to existing school clubs to assist your Project UNIFY efforts: • Student Councils • Key Club • Honor Society

  38. Your role as an athlete/peer with Project UNIFY • Be a leader • Offer your opinion and suggestions • Recruit your peers to join your efforts • Understand history/facts of Special Olympics • Make sure the facts you share about SOWY are true and credible • Prepare and Practice before you host events • Work with school liaison and administration to set up dates for your events • Educate and promote SOWY in a positive and convincing manner • Represent Special Olympics professionally

  39. Your role as an athlete/peer with Project UNIFY Most importantly: Have Fun!!!! Make Friends!!!!!

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