Angeline and Kristofina look to increase Family and Sibling Engagement by holding a Sibling and Families workshop and Hosting a Unified Football event!
Increasing Family and Sibling Engagement
The Youth Pair aimed to strengthen the bond between Families and Siblings and build relationships.
About the Project Leaders
Angeline is a 16-year-old junior Special Olympics Athlete who lives in Windhoek City and attends Dagbreek Special School. Angeline shares that joining Special Olympics has been the greatest experience of her life and she has found a new family within Special Olympics! Angeline has represented Special Olympics Namibia as a Forward on Namibia's Unified women’s football team in Detroit during the 2022 Unified Cup! She is proud to be a Special Olympics Athlete and a Youth Leader at the same time!
Kristofina Benyanmeni is a 17-year-old Youth Leader who plays for the V-Powers Angels Football Club and U-20 National Team! Kristofina loves football! His love for football led him to Special Olympics and Unified Sports where he can use his love for football to expand the Unified Generation!
The Inspiration
Angeline and Kristofina noticed that there is a lack of Family and Sibling Engagement in their Special Olympics Program. The Youth pair combined this lack of engagement with their love for football and brainstormed the idea of having a family and siblings Workshop, followed up with a Unified Football event and awareness campaign!
The Project
Angeline and Kristofina planned to conduct two Sibling and Family workshops; one in Windhoek, and one in Erongo. After these workshops, the pair planned to host a Unified Football event for Siblings, Special Olympics Athletes, and Unified Partners. Using the momentum from the Unified Football Gae, the pair then planned to engage YOuth Leaders from different schools in an advocacy and awareness campaign!
The Impact
Angeline and Kristofina’s project, “2014” achieved their goals. The Youth Pair aimed to strengthen the bond between Families and Siblings and build relationships and they did just that. After their implementation, they saw increased engagement from Families and Siblings. They were continuously inspired throughout to help their teammates, who once came to training/games alone, have their families come out and support. Through this project Angeline and Kristofina learned for a plan to succeed, they all need to work together, and that with friendship, also comes “new siblings.”
Project Leader Reflection
Before this project, Angeline and Kristofina were shy. They at first struggled with communication and were often timid. This project gave them the confidence that they neneededo communicate effectively. They also had to communicate and manage peers who were older than them, which they also found to be intimidating at first, but the two were able to gain confidence in themselves and overcome this challenge. Angeline and Kristofina were most proud to be able to educate their community, while also learning a lot! They also made friends in the process, and with this experience they hope they can continue spreading the message of inclusion in their communities!