The Unified Youth Leadership Summit was organized by youth leaders Lumka and Zama from Special Olympics South Africa. After previously completing a Youth Innovation Project, the youth leaders used this funding to expand the impact of their earlier work.

They planned and hosted a Unified Youth Summit during the Special Olympics South Africa Unified Invitational in December 2024. The Summit created a space for young people to strengthen their leadership skills, connect with others, and become more involved in advocacy and awareness initiatives.
Lumka and Zama were inspired by the young people who participated in the Unified Youth Leadership Summit. They expressed their appreciation for the fellow youth leaders, organizers, and wider Youth Summit community whose support and leadership helped make the project possible.
The project aimed to engage more young people, both with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, into the Special Olympics mission. Through the Summit, Lumka and Zama created opportunities for youth to build leadership skills, connect with one another, and contribute to a more inclusive community.
The project helped develop new Unified Champion Schools and engaged new youth leaders and athletes through the planning and implementation of the Summit.
Lumka and Zama are most proud of creating a space where young people could come together and feel valued, welcomed, and included. They shared that scaling the project strengthened their skills in event planning, communication, teamwork, coordination, and leadership.

Throughout the project, they also became more confident in collaborating with others and managing responsibilities while working toward a shared goal.