Julia and Chad will lead a Youth Innovation Project to promote inclusion and acceptance within their school by expanding their Unified Sports program to include “Unified Play Days.” Participants will be able to try their hand at a variety of new sports including volleyball, basketball, and softball, while learning about the Special Olympics movement and the power of play.

Over 12 months, Julia and Chad will engage more than 120 students with and without intellectual disabilities in their school. In doing so, Julia and Chad will develop a new generation of Youth Leaders who will spread acceptance and awareness, and forge new friendships. By expanding their school’s Unified program, Julia and Chad hope to make their school an official Unified Champion School. In the second phase of their project, Julia and Chad plan to bring “Unified Play Days” to other schools in the county, enlisting new members of the Unified Generation to demonstrate inclusion in their communities.