’Let’s play together because we are equal’ (Grajmy razem bo jesteśmy równi) is the motto of the brand new Special OlympicsPoland campaign which is taking the country by storm! With the purpose of spreading the message of inclusion, the campaign paired four lucky athletes with as many national ambassadors and prominent sports figures to demonstrate that acceptance, passion, and commitment connect all of us, regardless of our ability or appearance.
The eight campaign stars filmed a video together and are now appearing in photos and banners online and across Polish media.
“The idea behind the campaign is very simple. We are all the same, despite the differences that divide us at first glance. We want the same things. We have our dreams, ambitions and goals. It is important that we support each other in achieving them.”
The four athletes chosen for the shoot are from the Wielkopolskie-Poznań area and they have all demonstrated their sporting prowess at regional, national or even international Special Olympics events. Judokas Magda Orpiszak and Filip Maković, footballer Bartosz Jarczewski and powerlifter Kamila Woźna were all very excited to take part in the campaign and to collaborate with fellow athletes and media stars. In posters and banners across the country, they appear alongside Anna Lewandowska, former UFC Strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Polish journalists and TV presenters Paulina Krupińska-Karpiel and Tomasz Wolny. Everyone had fun together at the energetic photoshoot!
“I am very happy that I could take part in the photo session for our new campaign! I especially liked working with Tomek Wolny, I admire him very much!” commented Filip Maković.
“Tomek supports us, cheers us up during our competitions, we can always count on him. I really like the fact that in these photos we show that we are similar to each other. Sometimes people only look at our appearance and judge us by it, and this should not be the case.”
UFC champion, Joanna Jędrzejczyk, echoed Filip’s enthusiasm. She said, “I personally enjoy this campaign. I feel that I am part of a unique community and a harmonious team. We feel good in each other's company and learn from each other.”
![Medium close-ups of four people whose faces are half-overlapped by the faces of four other people.](https://dotorg.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f9df2a3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/800x323+0+0/resize/800x323!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoi-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdotorg%2Fb2%2F11%2F91a518b342e99e5ec75b95a77135%2F800x320-slajder-www-2.jpg)
The Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, the State Fund for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (PFRON) and Special Olympics Poland sponsors, Huawei and Tauron Polska Energia SA, are to thank for the development of this campaign. Their incredible support is once more helping the athletes of Special Olympics to raise their voices for inclusion across the country.
“This campaign was a challenge for us from the very beginning. We wanted to show what is really important in life. It is not the appearance, but shared passions, emotions and goals that build long lasting relationships. Physical traits lose their importance when we share common ideals and are one team. I hope that everyone will see something more in this campaign than just photos”.
Regardless of their ability, every athlete is defined by the same set of valuesand the #GrajmyRazem campaign wants to prove just that!