Cloud, Quelah, Etana, and Joyanne, youth leaders from Special Olympics St. Lucia, wanted to promote greater inclusion in their local primary schools. Through their Youth Innovation Project, the four youth leaders used their voices to encourage students to be kind, patient, and accepting so that everyone can feel safe, welcomed, and included at school.

To bring their message to life, the youth leaders wrote a children’s book about inclusion and took their story into local schools through a series of inclusive book fairs.
The youth leaders were inspired to help create more inclusive school communities where every student feels respected and valued. They wanted to use storytelling as a way to help students better understand inclusion and learn how they can contribute to a more welcoming school environment.
The four youth leaders authored a children’s book focused on inclusion and ways to promote it in school. Once the book was completed, they hosted book fairs at four local primary schools, where they read their story to students and opened conversations about inclusion.

The project created opportunities for students to learn about inclusion, ask questions, and think about how they can make their schools more welcoming. Following the book readings, students demonstrated a greater understanding of inclusion and the importance of treating everyone with respect and kindness.
The project helped increase awareness of inclusion and the Special Olympics mission within the local school community.The youth leaders also reported a decrease in bullying following the project.

The four youth leaders plan to continue advocating for inclusion in their community. They hope to remain facilitators of inclusion in schools and encourage more students to get involved with their Unified Champions Club.
The youth leaders are especially proud of authoring a children’s book for the first time and creating an inclusive book fair where they could share their message with younger students. They were also excited to welcome the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, who attended the book fair and read their story to students.

For the youth leaders, the project was also an opportunity to grow personally. One leader reflected on the challenge of reading aloud to people they did not know.Through the experience, they strengthened their public speaking skills and gained greater confidence when presenting their story.