Latin America 2006 Youth Summit The Latin America 2006 Youth Summit held during the Regional Games was the culmination of four years' development of the Special Olympics Youth and Schools outreach program in Latin America, Involúcrese en OE, or Special Olympics Get Into It® (SO Get Into It). Youth Summit teams answer, "What stereotype about persons with intellectual disabilities would you like to change most, and why?" Claudia Diaz, Special Olympics Chile athlete and Fernanda Salvatierra, Youth Summit partner. “The idea that persons with intellectual disabilities are not capable and that they have different feelings is common. By discovering that these students have feelings like everyone else and that they have capabilities, regular students begin to share experiences and establish relationships.” [All photos by Diego Flores, El Salvador] SO Get Into It is a free service-learning curriculum that celebrates the diverse gifts of every student whatever his or her ability. Involúcrese en OE was first piloted in 2002 by five countries; it is now active in 11: Argentina, Chile, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela. Countries were represented at the Summit by three-person teams of leaders with previous Summit experience at the local and national levels: a Special Olympics athlete who has participated in Special Olympics Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs) (through ALPs, athletes serve on Boards of Directors or local organizing committees. Athletes excel as spokespersons, team captains, coaches and officials; ALPs initiatives provide new opportunities for athletes and benefit the movement as a whole), a partner, a member of the Involúcrese program; and a mentor,also a member of Involúcrese. Oscar Reyes, Special Olympics Honduras athlete and Juan Carlos Ponce, partner: “The greatest challenge is fear, caused by not understanding that persons with intellectual disabilities have feelings and abilities. After the first face-to-face experience, regular students begin to change their perceptions and attitudes.”       Ponce noted that 60 students at his high school will be organizing a local Special Olympics competition in May 2006. Changing Attitudes, Promoting Opportunities, the motto of the first Special Olympics Latin America Games, was embodied by the Summit. The purpose of a Youth Summit is to bring together 10-20 youth pairs, ranging from ages 12 to 17. As noted above, each pair is composed of one Special Olympics athlete and one partner without an intellectual disabilities who, together, serve as delegates representing their school, community, state/province or nation. During the first two days of the Games, participants spent the morning on debates and presentations addressing each part of the motto. In the afternoon, following a how-to seminar on media coverage, teams were on assignment at the sports venues to interview athletes, take photos, and record the stories of these Games. Rayme Bâez, Special Olympics Dominican Republic athlete and Ana Stutler, partner: “The greatest barrier to forming relationships and developing friendships is fear and misunderstanding. We begin to better understand persons with intellectual disabilities and to appreciate their capabilities through these experiences. The end result is acceptance.” The culmination of the Youth Summit came on 30 March, when Darlyn Meza, Minister of Education of El Salvador, presided over the official public day of the Summit. Over 400 people, including Mrs. Ana Ligia de Saca, First Lady of El Salvador; Mr. Mauricio Funes, Secretary of Youth; and Ada Montano, National Director of Special Education, listened as the youth teams proposed strategies for changing attitudes in their communities and fostering integration of people with intellectual disabilities. The Ministry of Education of El Salvador exemplifies the commitment of several governments around Latin America: in the Sonsonate region, which piloted the Involúcrese program beginning in 2003, all schools participate, and in 2005 the ministry supported training programs and materials for national expansion. At present 3,000 students in El Salvador are involved in the program. El Salvador’s Minister of Education, Darlyn Meza, shown here with Youth Summit Teams from Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Paraguay and El Salvador, said that “people with different abilities merit our respect — they have much to teach us.” Following their participation in this Latin America 2006 Youth Summit, the athletes, partners and mentors were charged by Special Olympics Latin America to continue their active involvement in Special Olympics and in the Involúcrese program for the next two years. “This was a great opportunity for young people with and without disabilities to establish friendships, share interests, work together and spend quality time together," said Paulina Baudet, Special Olympics Latin America Regional Program Innovations Manager. "The partners recommitted themselves to return to their schools and transmit the importance of this program to their fellow students.”      < Return to main Latin America Regional Games page >