Unified Champion Schools: Play Unified. Live Unified.
Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools® is a strategy for schools Pre-K through College that intentionally promotes meaningful social inclusion by bringing together students with and without intellectual disabilities to create accepting school environments.
Sign your school up for the 2024-2025 school year by CLICKING HERE!
The Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools strategy is aimed at promoting social inclusion through intentionally planned and implemented activities affecting systems-wide change. With sports as the foundation, the three component model offers a unique combination of effective activities that equip young people with tools and training to create sports, classroom and school climates of acceptance.Together we are creating a Unified Generation that Chooses to Include.
Download the SOWY UCS 2023-2024 Reach Report here
Recent Happenings
The 2024-2025 has begun! We look forward to working with schools to help promote inclusion through Unified Champion School component implementation.
Resources
*For a hard copy, please email ucs@specialolympicswy.org
Unified Sports Offered
Become a Unified Coach / Become a Unified Partner / Become an Athlete
Whole School Engagement
Awareness and education activities that promote inclusion and reach the majority of the school population. Examples are Inclusion Campaign, pep rallies, “fans in the stands”, “Spread the Word”, etc.
More examples and how to implement Whole School Engagement at each grade level can be found in the Unified Champion Schools Playbooks above.
2024 is Going All In(clusive): This thematic is action-oriented—a motivational rallying cry that doubles down on the belief that everyone is the goal of our efforts. We are calling on our youth, our Special Olympics athletes and ambassadors to share their stories of courage, dedication, and engagement for inclusion. They are encouraged to share when the last time was that they went all in(clusive)—totally committed to something, bet everything on a hand, stood up for something they believed in. In a call to action, each individual message is encouraged to end with a personal commitment on how they plan to “go all in” to take their own action for inclusion. Going all in(clusive) also means speaking up against the wrong and demeaning use of the R-word in conversations. It is part of an education effort that showcases that language informs attitudes and attitudes impact actions. In 2024, the annual day of awareness is held on March 6, 2024. While most activities are centered on or near that awareness day in March, people everywhere are encouraged to spread the word throughout their communities and schools throughout the year through pledge drives, youth rallies and online activation.
Inclusive Youth Leadership
Inclusive youth leadership happens when young people of all abilities are given opportunities to be leaders in their schools and communities. Inclusive leadership activities help students find their voices and allow them to become change-agents by promoting equity and acceptance. Start by transforming an existing club into an inclusive club by including youth with and without intellectual disabilities in club leadership positions. Or create a new school club focused on Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools that is recognized by school administration. More examples and how to implement Inclusive Youth Leadership can be found in the Unified Champion School Playbooks above.
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Unified Sports
Unified Sports brings students with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team. Teams train and compete together, fostering teamwork, communication, and friendships.
UCS in Action
