European Summit | Global Youth

Special Olympics

European Youth Leadership Summit

Regional Youth Leadership Summits

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!

"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

of participants were satisfied with opportunities to collaborate and network with other Youth Leaders around their Region

of participants were satisfied with Unified Sports sessions and activities

of participants were satisfied with their overall Youth Leadership Summit experience

97%

91%

97%

Project Spotlight

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.