Unified Expression Tanzania is a youth-run advocacy and art campaign that convened inclusion summits and an art competition at AL Muntazir Islamic International School, giving students a creative stage to show what a “Unified Generation” means in their own voices.
Debate-club students had plenty of public-speaking talent but little exposure to disability inclusion, so youth leaders Jerry Valentine and Nahil Mitha designed an event where those skills could be used to champion acceptance, backed by strong support from their school network and Special Olympics Tanzania.
The team delivered a one-day summit that drew students, businesses, and volunteers for interactive discussions, a pledge wall, and an art contest on “Inclusion/A Unified Generation,” funded by grants that covered transport, refreshments, supplies, and media while in-kind venue support kept costs down.
The summit activated 20 new youth leaders, engaged 25 Special Olympics athletes alongside 35 peers without ID, launched one Unified Champion School and Unified Sports Club, and reached roughly 3,500 social-media impressions—well above the 500-impression goal—while attendees noted they were “eager to include but had never had the chance.”
Jerry and Nahil are most proud of the enthusiastic feedback and the WhatsApp group that is already planning future inclusion projects; they say the experience sharpened their time-management skills and proved that logistical hurdles like venue costs and transport can be solved when a community rallies behind inclusion.