Eliya, 19, and Monica, 17, are Youth Leaders from Uganda. Eliya and Monica have both been Special Olympics athletes competing in football, floor hockey, and swimming, since they were 12. They were inspired by their own experiences of inclusion as Special Olympics athletes to create inclusive opportunities for children with and without intellectual disabilities.
Eliya and Monica have noticed that in their community, young people with intellectual disabilities are still not included in activities like sports. They want to change this discrimination by providing more young people with the same kind of inclusive experience that they enjoyed through Unified Sports.
Over the course of 6 months, Eliya and Monica will recruit 10 new Youth Leaders and engage 100 people with and without intellectual disabilities through Unified Sports at local schools and community centers. Through Unified Sports, Eliya and Monica believe that youth in their community will be inspired, just as they were, to carry on the message of inclusion and to advocate for the Unified Generation.
Through this project, Eliya and Monica will advocate for inclusion in their schools and communities by increasing the number of Unified athletes and partners. They hope that with their community participating in Unified Sports events more people will be understanding of people with intellectual disabilities.