Inclusion Over Everything was developed as part of a Youth Exchange between Washington, DC, and a Special Olympics Latin America Program. Through the Exchange, Youth Leaders collaborated to identify challenges related to inclusion in their own communities and design and implement a project to address them.

Janiya and Shanti, Youth Leaders from SO Washington, DC, recognized a lack of awareness and engagement with local Special Olympics Programs in their community. To address this challenge, they created opportunities for students to connect, interact, and experience inclusion firsthand. They organized school-wide events and awareness campaigns to share the message of inclusion, followed by feedback sessions to gather input from community members both inside and outside of school.
Janiya and Shanti were inspired by the encouragement and support of their mentors, who helped them brainstorm event ideas, purchase supplies, and keep project activities on track. Their mentors also provided valuable support with event-day coordination, helping bring the Youth Leaders’ vision to life.
The Youth Leaders organized a whole-school engagement event at a local high school, bringing together more than 500 students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The event featured Unified Sports, presentations on inclusion, food, and music, creating opportunities for students to connect and celebrate what an inclusive school community can look like.

Looking ahead, Janiya and Shanti plan to continue hosting smaller Unified events during lunch and free periods. Through these activities, they hope to recruit new athletes and Unified partners while continuing to build a culture of inclusion throughout their school community.
The project contributed to the creation of three new Unified Schools in the Washington, DC, area, expanding opportunities for students to experience the power of inclusion through Special Olympics’ Unified Champion Schools.

The events also increased awareness of Special Olympics and its role in fostering inclusive school environments. By bringing students together in a shared space, the Youth Leaders encouraged new students to get involved, recruited additional Unified partners, and generated interest in future activities and events.
For Janiya and Shanti, the highlight of the project was seeing their event come together. With student volunteers working at each station, they could see inclusion in action. Some of their favorite memories were line dancing and watching students with and without IDD spend time together, connect, and dance.

Throughout the project, Janiya and Shanti strengthened their leadership, teamwork, and event-planning skills. With guidance from their mentors, they learned how to divide responsibilities, coordinate with fellow Youth Leaders, and engage classrooms to ensure the event ran smoothly. Their experience demonstrated how collaboration and youth leadership can turn a shared vision for inclusion into meaningful action.