Arianna, 20, and Mariclara, 19, are Youth Leaders from Venezuela. They are both part of the Special Olympics Venezuela Youth Activation Committee, and Arianna is the director of this committee. Arianna and Mariclara are motivated by their shared love of learning and advocating for people with intellectual disabilities.
Arianna and Mariclara noticed that due to a lack of awareness and knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities among youth in their community, there is a lack of inclusion as well. They want to share their positive experiences of Special Olympics with others in their community, so they decided to organize a new advocacy event!
They want to raise awareness and inclusion through a Unified Day camp, where participants learn about people with Intellectual disabilities and about Venezuelan culture and heritage. They see these event as a great opportunity to educate their community on the importance of inclusion and how it can be implemented in their culture.
Arianna and Mariclara hope that people will leave this event with a unique and unforgettable memory, accepting and loving their own community and all of the people within it! They found their experience with the Unified Generation to be personally rewarding and fulfilling as well and hope others will too.