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Special Olympics Washington

Project UNIFY® School Handbook

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Table of Contents

What is Project UNIFY?......................................................................3

Youth Activation …………..…………………………………………………………………4

Initiatives & Activities…………………………………………………………………….6

Unified Sports®……………………………………………………………………………….9

Resources………………………………………………………………………………………13

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What is Project UNIFY? Special Olympics Project UNIFY® is an education-based project that uses sports and education programs to activate young people to develop school communities where all youth are agents of change – fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities. It is joint project between Special Olympics and the Department of Education. With 38 active U.S. State programs, Project UNIFY is currently featured in over 1,700 schools and engaging more than 600,000 young people. Project UNIFY is a program funded by Special Olympics and the Department of Education to promote inclusion through sports and disability awareness activities. Students in elementary, middle, and high schools participate in Project UNIFY through a variety of options. In Unified Sports, students with and without disabilities play on their school teams against other unified school teams to promote sportsmanship, competition, and friendship. Youth Activation provides students the opportunity to raise awareness within their schools about disability issues and to plan inclusive events for the student body. Project UNIFY initiatives are sample activities that schools implement nationwide, in addition to specific activities schools develop on their own.

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Youth Activation Options

Schools implement Youth Activation in a variety of ways. Basically, youth activation means that students are leading and organizing events, versus staff. Of course students will need guidance and support from staff members, but Project UNIFY aims to empower youth to create change within their communities. All youth activation groups should be inclusive – students with and without disabilities should be working together.

What do Youth Activation Committees (YACs) look like: -Official P.U. Club:Project UNIFY clubs chartered through ASB that meet weekly or bi-weekly where members with and without disabilities meet to plan and implement school-wide initiatives and inclusive opportunities -Adding P.U to existing clubs:a group of students that is part of an already existing club – such as the ASB, Honor Society, Friends of Rachel, Diversity Club and organizes/implements initiatives. -District Y.A.C- 1 or 2 students from high schools ideally serve on a district Youth Activation Committee (Y.A.C), where representatives from schools within a district meet and share what their specific schools are doing with P.U.

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-State Y.A.C- Special Olympics Washington office oversees a statewide Y.A.C and students from high schools around the state are invited to apply for this committee. The Y.A.C meets monthly, either in person or via conference call, and discusses P.U activities in their regions as well as plans bi-annual conferences for Youth Activation students. Tips for Youth Activation at your school: -Required members: The ideal youth activation committee on a school level is a chartered club through ASB. Designate one or two students to recruit members and designate one staff member to advise the club. Each school has various ASB guidelines for chartering a club, so see your ASB advisor for your specific process. -Recruitment ideas: Visit special education classrooms to recruit club members and make posters, add announcements to school bulletin and school website, create a FB group page, visit classrooms during mentorship/advisory/student hall periods to advertise club.

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Initiatives & Activity Ideas

Project UNIFY Initiatives are activities that we have developed for students to help spread the message of unity, respect, and friendship between people with and without intellectual disabilities. The following list is a starting point. Schools are encouraged to be creative and organize school-wide activities that are relevant and exciting for your student body. Official Project UNIFY initiatives are described in the following pages.

• Check the "Events" section of our Project UNIFY FB page (www.facebook.com/specialolympicswashingtonprojectunify ) We often have competitions or sports events for you to participate in.

• Plan a "Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign - go to www.r-word.org for resources. • Organize "Fans in the Stands" visit www.sowa.org and see what competitions are coming up -

then organize a group of students with and without disabilities to go out and cheer on their friends and teammates.

• Make your own Public Service Announcement to show during your school's announcements, a Diversity Assembly, or just in your classes (with permission from your teachers). Take it a step further and enlist the help of your students in the technology or video recording classes!

• Sports Exhibition - gather a group of friends with and without disabilities and play a Unified game of ANY sport! Invite friends and families to cheer you on!

• Hold a school-wide essay contest about why inclusion is important at your school - have winning essays posted in school newsletters, online, or read over announcements or at a Diversity Assembly.

• Produce a play! It's Our School, Too! is a play that highlights inclusion. Written for people with and without intellectual disabilities by Special Olympics. Find the full script here: http://media.specialolympics.org/soi/files/resources/Project_Unify/Its_Our_School_Too%20Script.pdf

• If your club meets during school, visit the special education classroom and recruit some new members.

• Have a game day during your club meeting - just having people with and without disabilities in the same room having fun is a HUGE part of Project UNIFY!

• Create a lunch buddy program - recruit your fellow students to sit with someone new during lunch - promoting people with and without disabilities getting to know each other.

• Organize an assembly buddy program - talk with the special education teachers at your school and arrange to sit with your peers with disabilities during assemblies.

• Coordinate going to school sports games and dances with a friend with a disability (make sure you coordinate with special education teachers and/or parents of your peers with disabilities - transportation and supervision may be required)- school activities are for EVERYONE to enjoy :)

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Spread the Word to End the Word Campaign

Spread the Word to End the Word is an on-going effort to raise awareness about the dehumanizing and hurtful effects of the word “retard(ed)” and encourage people to pledge to stop using the R-word. The use of the R-word hurts individuals with intellectual disabilities, their family members, and their friends. The campaign can be ongoing throughout the year and schools are especially encouraged to participate in the national Spread the Word Day in March. Resources: Make your pledge, get a toolkit – videos, posters, and more resources @www.r-word.org Tips from students: https://getintoit.specialolympics.org/students/event-planner

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Fans in the Stands

No one likes playing or competing in front of empty bleachers! It’s easy to get Fans in the Stands started at your school – bring a group of friends, design big posters, gather at a local Special Olympics or Unified Sports game or tournament, and cheer like crazy! Whether athletes are on the court, field, or in the stadium, having cheering fans in the stands can be crucial to the motivation of the team. Encourage members of your school to be at every game or tournament and support Special Olympics athletes year-round. Resources: https://getintoit.specialolympics.org/students/event-planner http://www.specialolympicswashington.org/calendar

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Special Olympics Unified Sports® is an inclusive sports program that combines an approximately equal number of Special Olympics athletes (individuals with intellectual disabilities) and partners (individuals without intellectual disabilities) on teams for training and competition. Three models exist within Unified Sports: competitive Unified Sports, Unified Sports Player Development and Unified Sports Recreation. All three models provide different types of experiences in team sports such as basketball, soccer and volleyball and in other sports such as bocce, golf and tennis. Unified Sports is now offered throughout the world and has been a Special Olympics internationally sanctioned program since 1989. For more information visit: http://www.specialolympicswashington.org/unified_sports

Team sports are about having fun, promoting physical health and bringing people together. Special Olympics Unified Sports® teams do all of that – and shatter stereotypes aboutintellectual disabilities in the process.

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How to get your school involved in Unified Sports:

• Find out if your school already has a unified sports team of some kind – many schools have Unified bowling, basketball, and soccer.

• If your school does not currently have a team, email Joe Hampson, director of Sports & Programs, at jhampson@sowa.orgfor league play and tournament schedules.

• Recruit a staff member, parent, or other adult to volunteer as your school’s Unified coach.

• Recruit students with and without intellectual disabilities. • Complete the attached paperwork for your team and return to the SOWA office.

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Unified Sports Opportunities for kids in Pre-K through grade 2

Young Athletes™ is a unique sport and play program for children with intellectual disabilities. The focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and physical growth.

Children ages 2 1/2 to 7 enjoy games and activities that develop motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Young Athletes is an early introduction to sports and to the world of Special

Olympics. The children learn new things, play and have lots of fun!

Parents say their children in Young Athletes also develop better social skills. The confidence boost makes it easier for them to play and talk with other children on the playground and

elsewhere.

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For more information, visit http://www.specialolympics.org/young_athletes.aspx To find out about Young Athletes events in your area, contact the Sports Manager for your region:

King County……Adrienne Folsom – afolsom@sowa.org East Region……Jill Ives – jives@sowa.org Northwest Region……….Scott Friberg – sfriberg@sowa.org Southwest Region……….Eva Levingrub – elevingrub@sowa.org Tacoma Unified Sports Manager…..Taylor Morgan tmorgan@sowa.org

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Resources

Websites

• Special Olympics Washington website: www.sowa.org • Special Olympics North American website: www.specialolympics.org • Project UNIFY Facebook Page:

www.facebook.com/specialolympicswashingtonprojectunify

Contacts:

Joe Hampson, Director of Sports & Programs, jhampson@sowa.org CharaMcElfish, Manager of Youth & Education, cmcelfish@sowa.org

Taylor Morgan, Manager of Unified Sports Tacoma tmorgan@sowa.org

Attached Forms:

• Unified Partner Release Form • Application for Participation • Official Special Olympics Release Form (to be completed with AFP for athletes with

disabilities) • Young Athletes Registration Form • Young Athletes Release Form • Volunteer Registration Process (for volunteers over 18) • Volunteer Registration Form • Washington State Patrol Form (to be completed with volunteer registration form)