Two Skyline High School students selected to represent Missouri at the Special Olympics World Games
Contact:
Robin Anderson: SW Area Director - 417-624-5505
Emily Reyes and Amanda Estep SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN GLOBAL YOUTH ACTIVIATION SUMMIT DURING THE 2009 SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD WINTER GAMES
130 Youth Leaders to Meet in Boise, Idaho, from 7-13 February 2009 to Promote Acceptance and Understanding of People with Intellectual Disabilities Around the World
Emily Reyes and Amanda Estep from Urbana, Missouri was selected from among hundreds of applicants from around the world to participate in the fifth Global Youth Activation Summit on intellectual disabilities that will be held in conjunction with the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games from 7-13 February 2009. The summit will launch a new Special Olympics youth engagement initiative which positions young people as leaders for fostering inclusion in their schools and communities.
During the summit, Emily and Amanda along with other participants will attend youth-led leadership training programs, participate in interactive sports experiences and help host four live Webinars to connect with their peers internationally. Emily and Amanda will also serve as a journalist, writing blogs, developing podcasts and composing stories for publication and to be shared with home and school news outlets, posted to the Special Olympics Web site, posted to the 2009 World Winter Games Web site and shared through other social networking sites.
The youth leaders participating in the summit, aged 12 to 20, come from 22 nations, representing all seven Special Olympics regions and various educational levels including middle school, high school and some college. They will be paired– one Special Olympics athlete and a peer partner without an intellectual disability from the same community, state or country.
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“Bringing together these students for the 2009 Global Youth Activation Summit is an important step as we work to eliminate stereotypes and change views about the capabilities and gifts of people with intellectual disabilities,” said Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver. “Special Olympics provides one of the greatest platforms in the world for acceptance and inclusion. It is our desire that this summit help Special Olympics become a leading cause among young people, and develop the next generation of world leaders.”
Emily was chosen to participate based upon her experience as a coach and volunteer. Amanda was chosen based on her participation as an athlete.
In addition to the activities during the week-long summit, Emily and Amanda will be part of a Global Youth Rally at the Taco Bell Arena on the campus of Boise State University on Monday, 9 February. The rally will bring together thousands of young people with and without intellectual disabilities from the Boise, Idaho, area and around the world. It will be an exciting multi-media event designed to help youth develop awareness and discuss current issues, as well as serve as a call to action for youth to promote inclusion and acceptance for all.
Emily states, “I am excited to go. I can’t wait to get ideas to bring back to Missouri.”
Amanda states, “I am looking forward to this trip and meeting new people that are involved in Special Olympics from other places.”
The 2009 Global Youth Activation Summit is the fifth such event to take place. The inaugural global summit took place in 2001 at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Alaska. Since then, there have been 37 youth summits at the global, national and regional levels, involving representatives from 150 Special Olympics Programs and more than 1,500 young leaders.
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The 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games will bring together nearly 2,500 athletes from more than 100 countries in Boise, Idaho, to compete in seven Olympic-type sports. It will be the largest multi-sport event in North America in 2009.
The Global Youth Activation Summit is one of several Special Olympics global initiatives helping promote school communities where all young people are agents of change. The summit was made possible through a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and a generous donation from Special Olympics Global Sponsor Mattel Children’s Foundation. Other initiatives include Project Unify, a year-long U.S. national project to energize young people across the nation to foster respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics believes that through sports youth can make a difference in friendships, schools and communities.
For more information on the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games, including the Global Youth Summit, Project Unify and other youth programs, visit www.specialolympics.org/getintoit.
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives by promoting understanding, acceptance and inclusion between people with and without intellectual disabilities. Through year-round sports training and athletic competition and other related programs for 2.8 million children and adults with intellectual disabilities in more than 180 countries, Special Olympics has created a model community that celebrates people’s diverse gifts. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship. Visit Special Olympics at www.specialolympics.org.
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