project unify national youth activation project

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Be a fan of acceptance, dignity, and the human race.

Project UNIFYNational Youth Activation

Project

SOI Staff Briefing

September 16, 2008

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Youth Activation – Project UNIFY• 5 years of legislative cultivation, Capitol Hill Day• Authorized by 2004 Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act• U.S. Department of Education – FY 2008• First Education funding success• $4.42 million (12 months) grant• $2.4 million in Program grants• Targets U.S. Programs/activities

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Project UNIFY – current staffingAndrea Cahn, Director of Project UNIFY. Melanie Ferlito, Director of Unified Sports /Camp ShriverTerry Pickeral, Executive Director, National Center for Learning and Citizenship (NCLC), Senior Educational Consultant to Project UNIFY Dioma Ogude, Finance Specialist

Also part of core team:Steve Corbin, SOI Senior VP of Constituent ServicesHelen MacNabb, VP, Organizational DevelopmentRon Vederman, Sr Director, Org Development – Schools and Youth

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Special Olympics

FinanceSr. VP

Constituent Services

Finance Specialist Grants Manager

SONA Managing Director

Project UNIFY Director

Unified Sports/ Camp Shriver

Director

ALPs Manager

Program Assistant

Education Consultant

Project UNIFY integrated Staffing

New Project Unify positions

Staffing and Reporting Structure

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Youth Activation Vision

• Special Olympics believes that through sports young people can make a difference in friendships, schools and communities;

• Special Olympics youth recognize that through sports training and competition, people with intellectual disability inspire hope, dignity and courage;

• Special Olympics invites youth to understand and to value their peers with intellectual disabilities and empowers youth to create opportunities for and with them in sport and friendship.

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Project UNIFY PurposeActivate youth across the country in an effort to promote school communities of acceptance and inclusion where all young people are agents of change - fostering respect, dignity and advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities.

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Project Unify Objectives

• Increase the number of local opportunities for youth with and without Intellectual Disabilities

• Increase the number of state SO Programs engaging in sustained partnerships with schools

• Develop best practices that provide the basis of expansion of a sustainable Project UNIFY

• Create web based environments for youth with and without Intellectual Disabilities to connect

• Conduct evaluation that documents the successes and challenges of Project UNIFY and its impact

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Project Unify Objectives• Expand and enhance the Young Athletes Program• Establish advocacy & leadership training (e.g.

ALPS) for youth with and without Intellectual Disabilities

• Educate youth as to what Intellectual Disability is • Create a national leadership program for youth in

developing school communities • Increase the number of U.S. youth with and without

Intellectual Disabilities (pre-school and up) actively participating in Special Olympics

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GLOBAL STRATEGIC PLAN

• Shift in orientation (paradigm shift)

• Commitment to:– Youth lead– Youth focus

• Current landscape – to future vision

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Strategic OVERVIEW:A Unified Approach

• Policy Development– Supporting the value

and contribution of youth

– Promoting acceptance – Working for equity

• Youth Leadership Development– Increase in knowledge– Increase in skills– Increase in

dispositions

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PARADIGM SHIFTS

• Leadership

• Communications

• Impacts

How we do business now…

…How we do business tomorrow

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CHANGE PROCESS

• AWARENESS – Increase number of individuals

familiar with issues

• ADOPTION – Increase in prevalence of quality

practices

• ADVOCACY–Encourage others

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TWO-YEAR AGENDA

• Monitor Projects

• Identify and Share Effective Strategies

• Celebrate Impacts

• Identify Specific Tools that can be universally applied

• Develop, Disseminate and Monitor Impact of Tool Kit

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YEAR ONE

• Implementation of Scope of Activities• Products – Local Demonstration Projects• Convenings/Networking • Policy Agenda• Leadership Development

– Maximize current leaders– Develop “emerging leaders”

• Documentation – Develop a Blueprint• Dissemination

– Internal– External

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YEAR TWO

• Monitor Strategies

• Identify and Share Effective Strategies– Including conditions of effectiveness

• Celebrate Impacts

• Tools– From Blueprint to Toolkit– Employing tools

• Assessment of impact of Toolkit

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Key Characteristics of Effective Practice

• Youth Leadership• School-Community Collaborations• Continuous Improvement• Communications• Professional Development• Unifying Programming• Creating and Sustaining Relationships

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Special Olympics Model of Change

SchoolsTraditional Sports

•Games/Tournaments•Coaching•Volunteers•Fans in the Stands

Communications & Engagement•Be a Fan – “R Word”•Website•Sports Experience

Inclusive Sports•Unified Sports•Camp Shriver

Inclusive Schools•SOGII – Essay Contests•Booster Clubs•School Enrichment•Global Youth Congress•Youth Summits

Early Childhood Enrichment•Young Athletes

Athlete Leadership & Self-Advocacy

Youth Leadership

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Project UNIFY Program ProjectsGrants amounts range from $25,000 to $92,000Largest number (20) in range between $60-80,000All grant requests capped at $100,000Percent cuts applied based on scores

Criteria for Scoring:• Degree to which met Project UNIFY objectives• Design and clarity of plan• Measurable objectives• Cost per school/ athlete• Sustainability

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Project UNIFY Program Projects44 Proposals expected from Programs• 32 awarded in 1st Round• 12 expected in Round 2

Round 1• $2,980,000 in requests• $1,940,000 in funds awarded (contingent)• $500,000+ in funds available for Round 2

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Project UNIFY Program ProjectsRound 1 Cumulative Targets:• 23 Young Athlete Projects (4 YA focused)• 31 Unified Sports Projects(10 Unified focused)• 27 Multi-disciplinary Projects

• 26,000 New Athletes• 212, 000 New Youth engaged• 1,155 New Schools

TOTAL 318,000 youth involved as participants in 1,920 Project UNIFY Schools

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Project UNIFY Events and Opportunities

• Eliminate use of R-word Campaign - now

• 2008 Global Education Summit – Washington, DC - September 18-20

• Special Olympics Youth Congress - 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games - February 2009

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YOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE• Engagement of members

– All Group– Working Groups

• Support– Leadership Development– Communications– Ensuring Equity, Maximizing Contributions

• Responsibilities– Understanding Long-Term Commitment and Short-

Term Opportunities• Opportunities

– Global Youth Summit/World Games

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Special Olympics

FinanceSr. VP

Constituent ServicesCommunications

Research and Evaluation

Web and InteractiveGrants Manager Finance Specialist R-Word / Be a fan

World Games

Youth and Schools

SO College

SONA Managing Director

Project UNIFY Director

Education Consultant

Unified Sports/ Camp Shriver

Director

ALPs Manager

Program Assistant Sports

Project UNIFY Staffing with reporting

and collaboration linesreporting

collaboration

project unify national youth activation project

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