Paola, a youth leader from Peru, organized an inclusive Dance Sport program at her Unified school. Through dance sessions that brought students, Special Olympics athletes, and teachers together, she created an inclusive space where participants could be physically active, have fun, and experience dancing together.
Paola was inspired to combine her knowledge and passion for dance and performance with her desire to create a project that brought people with and without intellectual disabilities together.

As a leader, she was excited to take on the challenge of organizing and leading the project's activities while sharing her passion for dance with others in her community.
Paola drew on her experiences as a Special Olympics athlete, dancer, and professional model to lead the Dance Sport program. Throughout the project, she guided participants through inclusive dance activities while sharing an important message about the value of inclusion.

Leading the sessions also gave Paola the opportunity to strengthen her communication and leadership skills as she worked closely with participants and created a welcoming environment where everyone could take part.
For many participants, seeing an athlete with Down syndrome leading the activities was both inspiring and meaningful. Paola's leadership demonstrated the power of creating opportunities for people to share their talents, lead others, and make a difference in their communities. Paola's favorite part of the project was seeing everyone in her school participate together, have fun, and learn more about the importance of inclusion.

By the end of the project, participants left feeling happy, inspired, and motivated to continueparticipatingin their local Special Olympics programs and inclusive activities.
Reflecting on her experience, Paola shared that the most meaningful part of the project was seeing the participants' reactions to the dances and activities. Watching others enjoy themselves and connect through dance made all of her hard work worthwhile.

Looking ahead, Paola hopes to continue spreading inclusion by encouraging more people to participate in Special Olympics activities.She is especially excited to continue sharing her passion for dance and hopes to have more opportunities to serve as a dance instructor in the future.