“People have bullied me for how I look or because of disabilities. But Play Unified is helping people come together and build confidence…”
This is the message that SO Great Britain athlete Joel delivered to a room full of young students through an event with WWE. As part of WWE’s European Tour and in support of our Global Partnership, from November 6-10, Special Olympics Europe Eurasia athletes will be joining WWE Superstars to spread a message of inclusion all throughout Europe. As their tour travels through Manchester, Cologne, and Rome, our message and movement will go with them.
Joel and his Unified Partner, Olivia, joined by WWE Superstars Ember Moon and Dana Brooke, as well as Manchester United legend Wes Brown, had the opportunity to not only share personal experiences but also educate the students in the room at Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium on how to handle bullying. Fred the Red, Manchester United’s mascot, also made an appearance during an icebreaker exercise.
Created for WWE through the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence, WWE’s Be A Star programs focus on educating students on how to identify types of bullying they might come across and interactive instructions on how they can face these situations. Specifically, they spoke about 4 types of bullying these young students are likely to encounter: Physical, Verbal, Cyber, and Relational. WWE Superstar Ember Moon also shared her own personal story of how she dealt with a bully in her life by focusing on teaching students how to reach common ground.
Students from 16 Manchester area schools, including students with disabilities were in attendance. For the students of Brantwood Specialist School in Sheffield, UK, the event served as an opportunity for them to interact and learn alongside peers without disabilities, driving home the message of inclusion for all in attendance.