Best Practice Exchange

On 6 November, youth from across Asia Pacific came together via Zoom to participate in the Best Practice Exchange, organized by and with youth leaders. The objective was to build the capacity of our youth leaders with and without intellectual disability to advocate for inclusion by learning from best practices across the region.

Over the last few years, youth leaders have implemented all kinds of projects to create a more inclusive environment for all. With this Exchange, youth leaders were given a platform to share those best practices and to learn from each other. For Special Olympics Program staff, this was a meaningful opportunity to learn directly from the youth leaders about how they can support them in their leadership journey.

During the exchange, approximately 60 participants listened to multiple presentations and engaged in fun activities. The presentations were divided in 3 categories. These 3 categories represent the different stages a project can be in.

• Start: how to start your own project
• Scale: how to improve your project or how to increase your outreach
• Sustain: how to maintain and continue to impact more people over time

After each presentation, there was time for participants to ask the speakers questions and discuss how they can implement such projects in their own countries.

Curious about the presentations? Watch the recordings linked below:

Start:

• SO Vietnam: Engagement and recruitment of more youth volunteers.
• SO New Zealand: Designing an app for athletes’ travel and access needs.
• SO Papua New Guinea: Introducing Special Olympics to more people through advocacy projects.
• SO Bharat: Designing stories (TypedTales) that help persons with intellectual disabilities learn about relationships and emotions.
• SO Pilipinas: Organizing a National Youth Summit.

Scale:

• Regional Athlete and Youth Leadership Councils: Engaging athletes and youth leaders virtually through social media.
• SO Papua New Guinea: Improve and grow your project.
• SO Bharat: Promoting inclusion in Unified Schools.
• Regional Athlete Leadership Council: Collaboration between athletes at a regional level.
• SO Pakistan: Increase awareness of Special Olympics through Unified Classrooms.

Sustain:

• SO Bharat: Sustaining – a longstanding community outreach programme (Pratishtha)

For a summary of the Best Practice Exchange, you can click here.