Youth Innovation Projects

Gabriela Patricia Velásquez Rodríguez and Amy Mariela Ramírez Estrada, two youth leaders from El Salvador, signed up to help shape a summit. In the end it shaped them, too. Since 2023 when they were selected to be part of the Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership Council (GYLC), they grew not only as individuals, but as global advocates for inclusion.

At every Special Olympics World Games, something remarkable happens—a global gathering of young leaders, with and without intellectual disabilities, who come together not just to share their hopes and ideas, but to lead.

Inclusion Beyond Sports is changing how people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are seen and integrated into society.

Eltheo and Charl aimed to create a soccer club for 14–16-year-old girls, hoping to inspire school-going youth by showing them there is a future and that they can succeed if they set their minds to something.

Youth Leaders with and without intellectual disabilities at the 2023 Special Olympics Global Youth Leadership Summit in Berlin, Germany, united by a common goal of fostering inclusion and understanding, believed that actions spoke louder than words.

A Special Olympics China Athlete Leader shares his personal growth story with Special Olympics

Special Olympics Cycle 9 Youth Innovation Projects Launch

Special Olympics Cape Verde Youth Leaders Edna and Clenira know that improving digital accessibility is essential to building a more inclusive world.

Special Olympics is proud to announce the next cohort of 108 Youth Leaders for the Youth Innovation Project Initiative.

On World Youth Skills Day, Special Olympics is proud to announce the sixth cycle of Youth Innovation Projects.