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My name is Ryosuke Niwa; I live in Nagano, Japan; and I am a volunteer for Special Olympics Nippon Nagano. Special Olympics has taught me that we are all different — some by choice, some by birth — and that perfection is relative.
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Ryosuke Niwa, right, poses with Eunice Kennedy Shriver at a 2003 Global Youth Summit event in Dublin, Ireland. His athlete partner, Takeuchi Kazushige, is at left; chaperone Masako Kuroda is seated in front. |
Although we are different, we also want to fit in. In Japan there is a saying, “The nail that sticks out gets banged down.” So if you are different, it can be a challenge for you. In school, there is peer pressure to tease those who are different. And for many mainstream students, like me, who do not want to make fun of other students, it is stressful — so stressful, in fact, it led me to a foolish decision.
I quit school in 1998 when I was 12 — not a popular decision in Japan. My mother introduced me to her cousin, a coach for Special Olympics Nippon Nagano, who told me the Program was looking for a Webmaster. I was always interested in Web technology, so I volunteered! I learned everything about Special Olympics from writing about it so much on the Web. It wasn't until 2003 that I actually had real interaction with athletes. What a revelation!
I attended the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games Youth Summit with my partner, Kazushige Takeuchi [Special Olympics Youth Summits pair school-age youth with and without intellectual disabilities]. I found that I couldn't appreciate what we had in common until I could grasp that the differences between us were barriers I put up — stereotypes I took for granted, my automatic response to “take charge” and “help.” Being with Kazushige changed all that. He knew things I didn't, like Dublin was not part of the United Kingdom, and something else, he was comfortable being himself and didn't expect me to take care of him or make decisions for him. He just wanted to be friends. That was the hardest part: just being myself — Kazushige wasn't helpless and I wasn't his “leader and protector.” I learned not to assume I know things about people I have never met.
Though Kazushige is different from me — he's good at sports; I'm not. He and I are similar too — we both have gifts: I'm good at technology; he's an amazing artist. We are like any two people with similarities, differences and things we can do well.
I learned that having a disability is a small thing, and that what counts is what we have in our hearts. Now, in addition to being the Webmaster for the Special Olympics Nippon Nagano site, I am involved in ways I would never have dreamed. Special Olympics not only brings opportunities to expand the capabilities of persons with intellectual disabilities, but it also increases everyone's capabilities as human beings.
Editor's note: In October 2003, Prudential recognized Niwa through The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program for his leadership in Special Olympics — see article below. In 2004, Niwa, Takeuchi and Masako Kuroda (the young men's chaperone at the 2003 World Games Youth Summit ) organized the first National Youth Summit for Special Olympics Nippon. Niwa goes to schools making presentations and rallying support from fellow students to make their world a better place to live.
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In October 2003 Niwa was recognized for his outstanding work with the movement by The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. Niwa and his Special Olympics athlete partner Takeuchi Kazushige were two of the attendees who participated in the 2003 Global Youth Summit, which took place in conjunction with the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games 21-29 June in Dublin, Ireland.
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At the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland, Ryosuke Niwa, right, and his athlete partner, Takeuchi Kazushige, left, pose with Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver. [Photo by Masako Kuroda] |
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognize students from around the world in middle and high school grades who have demonstrated exemplary community service. The recognition in Japan is awarded on the basis of regions, areas, and blocks (divisions); Niwa was named as the Hokuriku-Sinetu block winner.
"Obviously Ryosuke was already an exemplary role model for young people, having been selected along with his partner Takeuchi for the 2003 Global Youth Summit," said Ron Vederman, Director of Athlete Recruitment, School & Youth Outreach. "Ryosuke's real qualities began to shine immediately in Dublin and have continued upon returning to Japan."
Special Olympics conducts Youth Summits on a local, national, regional and global scale, channeling the energies of exemplary young people ages 12 to 17. Youth Summits bring together students with and without mental retardation from every region of the world, asking them how Special Olympics can better meet their needs; discussing ways of reversing stereotypical attitudes; expanding on the opportunities for youth to become involved in Special Olympics upon returning to their own schools, and much more.
In the United States, the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is sponsored by Prudential in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals; following the success of the U.S. awards, the program was introduced in Japan in 1997, in South Korea in 1999 and in Taiwan in 2000.
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