Special Olympics
European Youth Leadership Summit
Special Olympics Regional Youth Leadership Summits bring together Youth Leaders with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) at the Regional level. Through workshops and training, young people are given the tools and skills necessary to be leaders in their communities. The European Youth Leadership Summit took place from 1-3 February, 2020. Youth Leaders heard from speakers and expert Unified Sports® coaches, participated in an Inclusive Youth Leadership Workshop, and engaged in a variety of Unified Sports activities. Participants represented nine Special Olympics Programs across the Europe Eurasia Region and they are excited to lead the future of the Unified Generation in their home countries with the new information they learned!
Regional Youth Leadership Summits
"It was a good experience because I learned more about Special Olympics, how to be a better leader, and also about myself. The diversity of topics was really well chosen."
- Antonia, Youth Leader
Special Olympics Germany
PHOTO GALLERY
IMPACT OF EUROPEAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
24 Youth Leaders
Trained
11 Youth Leaders
Involved in Planning
9 Programs Engaged
at Youth Summit
11 Sponsors, Partners,
and VIP's Engaged
34 Local Students involved in Youth Summit
97%
of participants were satisfied with opportunities to collaborate and network with other Youth Leaders around their Region
91%
of participants were satisfied with Unified Sports sessions and activities
97%
of participants were satisfied with their overall Youth Leadership Summit experience
Project Splotlight
Teemu and Laura
Special Olympics Finland
Laura and Teemu are two Youth Leaders from Special Olympics Finland who will be increasing the number of inclusive activities for individuals with intellectual disabilities across Finland. Laura and Teemu noticed that communities in rural Finland do not have the same type of activities as larger cities. Their goal is to increase awareness of Special Olympics, Unified Sports, and work with sport clubs across the country to offer more Unified Sports programming.
To expand the number of Unified Sports players in sports clubs, Laura and Teemu will meet with local teams and share information about Special Olympics and Unified Sports. While on-site, they will offer the opportunity for the local teams to engage in different types of Unified Sports activities. Once Laura and Teemu have recruited youth to join Unified Sports teams, they will invite individuals to attend a National Youth Leadership Summit to expand their knowledge of inclusive youth leadership and learn more about the Unified Generation. Laura and Teemu are excited to see the impact their project has on creating inclusive opportunities in smaller communities across Finland.
European Youth Leadership Summit Final Report
Click here to download the PDF
SPECIAL OLYMPICS EUROPEAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP SUMMIT MADE POSSIBLE BY