Maria is 23 years old from Caracas, Venezuela. She has participated in various Special Olympics activities and events. She loves to get to know the amazing athletes and the movement is very close to her heart. She became a Youth Leader so she could find ways to create more amazing opportunities for athletes all while promoting inclusion. Arianna is the Director of the Youth Engagement Committee at SO Venezuela. She has supported many Youth Innovation Projects in the past and is passionate about inclusion and youth empowerment.
Maria and Arianna noticed that individuals are losing interest in reading and hearing stories. They want to promote interest and engage young athletes in literature. They hope to increase reading comprehension, find ways to encourage creativity, and improve student attention skills through fun and interactive ways.
Through their project, Unified Storytelling, Arianna and Maria will read various childrens' books to young athletes to promote interest in literature. The young athletes will watch illustrations and performances related to the books. Then after reading, students will team up and perform various fun activities. Youth Leaders will ask questions and engage the young athletes on what they liked most about the stories. Other engaging activities will include story scavenger hunts, drawing and coloring their favorite characters, dressing up as them, and playing guessing games.
Maria and Arianna hope to connect young athletes with Unified partners through literature. They hope to create opportunities for the young athletes to learn about creativity and teamwork, spark interest in reading, learn new skills and make new friends.