Purpose of Project UNIFY

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Purpose of Project UNIFY

• Through Special Olympics, using sports as
  catalyst, activate youth across the country
• Promote school communities of acceptance and
  inclusion where all young people are agents of
  change
• Foster respect, dignity and advocacy for people
  with intellectual disabilities

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What Is Project UNFIY?
www.projectunifyoregon.org
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Why Project UNIFY?

• Strong and irrefutable evidence for Special
  Olympics sports and related programs
• Providing platforms for youth to understand and
  value their peers with intellectual disabilities,
  and
• Empowering and activating youth to create
  opportunities for and with them in sport,
  friendship and advocacy.

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Scope of Project UNIFY

• Youth Leadership
• School-Community Collaborations
• Continuous Improvement
• Communications
• Professional Development
• Unifying Programming (Unified Sports in
  combination with other youth programming)
• Creating and Sustaining Relationships

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Continuum of Engagement

• Among youth, to become a leading cause, not just
  a service or activity
• Educate
• Provide a climate of understanding of social
  justice
• Motivate
• Increase recruitment, engagement, and interest
• Activate
• Offer opportunities for action, as partners or in
  other leadership roles, future leaders of
  Special Olympics

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Menu of OpportunitiesSports at the core / School
as the unit of engagement
Athlete Leadership Self-Advocacy

• Communications Engagement
• Be a Fan R Word
• Website
• Sports Experience

Youth Leadership

• Inclusive Schools
• SOGII Essay Contests
• Booster Clubs
• School Enrichment
• Global Youth Congress
• Youth Summits

Schools

• Traditional Sports
• Games/Tournaments
• Coaching
• Volunteers
• Fans in the Stands

• Inclusive Sports
• Unified Sports
• Camp Shriver

• Early Childhood Enrichment
• Young Athletes

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Unified Sports

• Students with and w/out disability on same team
• Creating inclusive school climates

Sutherlin High School
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Soeren Palumbo

• Activist for individuals with intellectual
  disabilities
• Inspired millions with his high school speech
• Check it out on youtube http//www.youtube.com/wa
  tch?vCoqaNG0Ozqc

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R-Word Campaign

• Educating society about the dehumanizing and
• hurtful effects of the R-word

Bend High Schools R-Word Rally
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The Pledge

• I pledge and support the
• elimination of the derogatory
• use of the R-Word from
• everyday speech and
• promote the acceptance and
• inclusion of people with
• intellectual disabilities.

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Pledge and Plunge

• Educate others about the
• R-Word AND raise money
• and awareness for Special Olympics Oregon
  athletes
• Compete with other high
• schools across Oregon to
• raise the most

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Forest Grove High School
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Show Tell Other Students Projects
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October 2, 2010 _at_ NikeYouth Activation
SummitYouth GamesUnified Sports
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Show and Tell
http//community.specialolympics.org/_3-word-Video
-on-Special-Olympics/video/527699/82244.html
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Questions?