What:
- Youths from Special Olympics Guam held an online campaign to raise awareness about the challenges people with intellectual disabilities (ID) face with regards to employment.
- The youths conducted interviews with persons with ID and professionals from the public, private and non-profit sectors. These included professionals from Guam Department of Labor, Guam Regional Transit Authority, Micronesia Training and Development Institute, iCAN Resources Guam, Pacific Human Resource Services, Adztech & Public Relations Inc.
- During the interviews, they discussed the challenges and opportunities available for people with ID. The interviews were livestreamed on Special Olympic Guam’s Facebook page.
Why/How:
“Employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities are limited on our island. We felt that adults with ID should have the same rights and should be afforded the same employment opportunities as everyone else… What excites us with doing our project is the thrill of the outcome… and how it will change the way people will look at people with ID, opening up a dialog between employers, potential employees and their families… We want [employers] to open up their minds to the possibility that given appropriate training, coaching and job selection, adults with ID can make good employees.” – Kane Arcaiyos and Meghan Boswell, project leaders
Achievements:
- Volunteers with and without ID were recruited to form the project team, including 3 youths who were new to Special Olympics.
- The team organized 6 webinar sessions on Zoom. They were 20 minutes each and streamed on Special Olympics Guam’s Facebook page.
- The sessions with employers educated businesses on how hiring persons with ID can positively impact their business, focusing on the individuals’ strengths.
- The sessions and Facebook posts engaged 42 to 131 people, reaching 120 to 983 persons each. Their audience included athletes, families and community members.
- The sessions are archived on Special Olympics Guam’s Facebook page. They serve as useful resources for anyone interested in supporting the employability of people with ID.
- Posters and social media outreach to the business community provide opportunities to seek more information and explore how hiring adults with ID can benefit their businesses.
What we learnt:
- The youths in the project team gained experience in designing an online campaign, creating digital resources and liaising with external stakeholders. They did their own research, found community resources and mentors who were experienced in specific technological areas (assisted by Special Olympics Guam board members and Special Olympics Asia Pacific).
“The most memorable moment to me was our first interview. I remember everyone trying to perfect their craft the day before… We practiced until we were satisfied and we were all nervous, but still overcame that hurdle… [When the day came,] I saw the big smiles my teammates were putting on, excited to do this interview. This made me think: ‘Why am I so nervous?’ This was probably also when I felt proud to be a part of this team.
One of the interviewees told us that the work we are doing will turn into something big and life changing. He told us that even though we are in a state of panic through the pandemic, the thought of our team working together to not think about ourselves, but also the individuals with ID, was really great work.” – Kane Aricayos, project leader
Links:
Launch video
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Series 4
Series 5
Series 6