Educating Future Generations was a youth-led initiative in Turkmenistan that brought students with and without intellectual disabilities together across five regions for inclusive workshops, games, and social activities. The project aimed to raise awareness, strengthen community bonds, and inspire the next wave of youth leaders.
Youth leaders Gymmat Begenjeva and Gurban Kuliev were motivated by personal experiences, including supporting a sibling with Down syndrome, and saw a need for more opportunities for youth with disabilities to connect with others. They wanted to bring visibility to the isolation some face and show that inclusion can start with simple, meaningful interactions.
Through regional outreach, the team organized sessions with sports, music, and creativity at the core, distributing printed materials and fostering open dialogue. By traveling to underrepresented areas, they created safe spaces for engagement and made inclusion visible in new communities.
The project engaged 250 youth, including 150 Special Olympics athletes and 100 peers without ID, created 3 new Unified Schools and 5 Unified Sports Clubs, and introduced 100 new youth leaders. It also reached 5 schools with expanded programming and helped bridge families and local communities in the process.
The leaders were proud to have grown closer through the experience, especially Gymmat, who credits the project with helping her gain confidence and enter university. They are committed to continuing their work by advocating at school, mentoring other youth, and expanding future Special Olympics activities.