Bucharest, October 25 – Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, in collaboration with Special Olympics Romania, is organizing the conference "Excellence in Action: Expanding Unified Champion Schools Across the Special Olympics Europe Eurasia Region." The event will take place from October 28 to October 30, 2024, at the Novotel City Centre in Bucharest, and will bring together experts and program leaders in inclusive education from 23 countries across Europe and the United States.
This unique event, organized by Special Olympics Europe Eurasia and Special Olympics Romania aims to harness the organization's expertise to educate new Programs about Unified Champion Schools (UCS) programming.
Special Olympics Programs are local chapters that operate at the grassroots level to provide sports training, competitions, and other programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities. UCSs promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments, utilizing three interconnected components: Special Olympics Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole school engagement.
Implemented in 31 counties of Romania since 2020, the program reached the following milestones:
- 258 new Unified Champion Schools, 7294 Unified Athletes and Partners (with and without intellectual disabilities [ID]) involved in Unified Sports activities, 407 coaches and 1246 teachers trained. 1038 Youth Leaders—both with and without ID involved, 144781 youth indirectly engaged, 26156 students directly involved in inclusive activities in schools, 2255427 people reached in media, 3 sets of educational resources issued.
"We extend our deepest gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his unwavering support of UCS. His commitment to inclusion and education is truly inspiring. During the three-day event, the Conference aims to foster an interactive environment where National Directors, Program staff, adult mentors, and young individuals with and without ID from diverse Programs across the region can convene. Our hope is to facilitate not only the expansion in the number of schools but also the enhancement in quality of UCS programming throughout the region. Through sharing experiences, exchanging best practices, and collaborative discussions, we aspire to elevate the standards and effectiveness of UCS across the board."
“Gathering for the 'Excellence in Action' Conference in Romania, we underscore the importance of advancing inclusive education through sports, as part of our growing UCS initiative across the region. This conference serves as an exceptional platform for learning, sharing, and discovery. It helps to strengthen our collaboration, and further establishes Special Olympics as a driving force in building inclusive educational environments where children of all abilities—with and without ID—learn and thrive together. We also recognize the critical role of the Special Olympics Global Coalition for Inclusion, generously funded by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, in propelling our vision forward. As our Coalition building expands, so too do the benefits of inclusive development where it is needed most, in close alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his generous support of this initiative, to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation for their continued partnership and support, as well as to Special Olympics Romania and all our partners for their unwavering dedication. Together, we are building schools that truly embody the values of diversity and inclusion, fostering a world where every child is celebrated, said David Evangelista, Regional President & Managing Director, Europe Eurasia.
"The UCS project began in 2020, the year of the pandemic. This generous project has changed the way we work and forced us to adapt to new situations and changing environments. Our team adjusted activities on the go, collaborating with thousands of teachers from 258 schools across 31 counties. We have travelled this path of inclusion alongside many teammates from all over the country: athletes, parents, teachers, coaches, and volunteers. Together, we have built a more inclusive educational environment where every child, regardless of ability, can grow and excel." said Cristian Ispas, National Director, Special Olympics Romania.
Building upon the success of the past four years, during which Special Olympics Romania achieved "Regional Hub of Excellence" status, reserved for Programs with the highest level of programming, the conference seeks to extend this excellence to new Programs across the region. By sharing their expertise, Special Olympics Europe Eurasia and Special Olympics Romania aim to elevate UCS programming and underscore the importance of inclusion within education.
Participants will be equipped with the necessary tools and strategies to launch and expand UCS programming through comprehensive training provided by experts from Special Olympics Romania. By fostering collaboration among Program leaders, mentors and educators, and youth, the workshop ensures that all necessary stakeholders are trained and prepared for expansion of UCS.
The "Excellence in Action" conference will focus on three key themes:
- Foundations of Excellence: Understanding UCS - participants will learn the foundational steps to building and expanding UCS programming, recognizing the vital role of each team member.
- Excellence Exchange: Learning from the Champions - participants will gain insights directly from Special Olympics Romania and learn best practices.
- Planning for Excellence: From Vision to Action - participants will collaborate to develop actionable plans for expanding UCS programming across their respective countries.
Looking ahead, Special Olympics remains committed to providing ongoing support for Programs through consistent training and technical assistance, ensuring sustained success. The "Excellence in Action" conference serves as an initial step for Programs to collect insights from UCS experts, with the expectation that they will implement this knowledge within their communities. By leveraging the diverse skillsets of all participants, the aim is to construct sustainable programming that fosters inclusion within education across the Special Olympics Europe Eurasia region conference.