HAVE YOU DONE YOUR

#WALKFORINCLUSION?

Last month, Special Olympics Asia Pacific launched an awareness campaign centered around Young Athletes. With each step symbolizing the key milestones of children with and without intellectual disabilities, the campaign invites the public to step into the shoes of our Young Athletes and celebrate their every achievement.

If you have a social media account:
Here is a sample message you can use alongside your video

“Every step I take in this video shows my support for a child with intellectual disabilities (ID) as I celebrate their every milestone. Let us walk towards a more inclusive future and smash stereotypes of people with ID. Support the athletes of @soasiapacific @humanraceasia and join me on my #WalkForInclusion! “

Remember to tag 3 friends (or more) to invite them to join in the campaign

If you are all heading out for your walks/runs/skates:

Take a screenshot of your steps and tag us on @humanraceasia @soasiapacific and use the hashtag #walkforinclusion. Make sure your account is set to public too.

 

If you do not have a social media account but you’re still going out for your walks/runs and getting active you can CLOCK YOUR STEPS HERE. There are no limits to the distance you can go and the times you can clock in so remember to track your steps no matter how long or short they are.

 

Most importantly, please spread the message and share the campaign with your friends, family and community to help us celebrate the milestones of people with intellectual disabilities.

YOUTH FOR INCLUSION SUMMIT

RETURNS FOR SECOND RUN

Special Olympics Asia Pacific’s Youth for Inclusion Summit 2021 seeks to empower young people with and without ID from across the region to be advocates for inclusion, by engaging in insightful discussions and deep diving into the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

The virtual event will be held from 3 to 8 October 2021 (Sunday - Friday). Hear from Special Olympics athletes, youth and staff from all over, as well as speakers from Bank of America, International School Manila, Kantar Public Singapore, Plan International Asia Pacific, Unicef, United Nations Development Programme, and more.

ARCHANA HEADS TO AUSTRIA FOR INAUGURAL DANCE SPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Special Olympics Bharat athlete Archana Javittal, the only representative from the Asia Pacific region at the Special Olympics World Championship Dance Sport Graz-2021, took to the floor with 80 athletes on 20 August, securing a fifth position.

Archana had initially faced issues like travel restrictions and getting fully vaccinated but she and family successfully made their way towards Graz, Austria, ensuring she got to be in the spotlight for her slot in the Classical-Solo category. More than 900 spectators witnessed the event in-person and the event was broadcasted live on multiple platforms for online viewers.

 

DanceSport became an officially recognized Special Olympics Sport in March 2019 during the Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019 where it premiered as a demonstration sport. It will be featured as a medal event at the Special Olympics Winter World Games 2025.

BRINA & FATHER

FEATURED IN #STRONGERYOUWITHFWD

Athlete Leader, Brina Maxino, Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger (SSIGM) and her father Winston were recently featured in a campaign by FWD Life Philippines, #StrongerYouWithFWD which aims to remind Filipinos of their strength  – to get them to celebrate the struggles that make them strong, and the people who inspire them and push them to be strong.

The message empowers everyone to forge on in the face of hardships by making them realize that in every loss lies opportunities, and every setback is a chance to step forward.

WETHE15: SPECIAL OLYMPICS JOINS COALITION TO END DISCRIMINATION

Multiple leading international organisations including Special Olympics have united to launch WeThe15, which aspires to be the biggest ever human rights movement – to represent, end discrimination and to advance the rights of the 15% of the world's population (1.2 billion people) with disabilities.

Launched ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 aims to publicly campaign over the next decade – to initiate change for disability visibility, accessibility, and inclusion.

DETROIT SELECTED TO HOST

SPECIAL OLYMPICS UNIFIED CUP 2022

The Special Olympics Unified Cup Detroit 2022 will be the second-ever tournament in this single-sport series, which challenges negative attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities and demonstrates how playing and competing together breaks down barriers to create a community of acceptance and inclusion. This is the second time in the 53-year history of Special Olympics that the Unified Cup will be held.

 

The event presented by Toyota will take place in Detroit, Michigan, USA from 31 July - 6 August 2022. The 2022 Unified Cup will host as many as 32 men’s and women’s football (soccer) teams – nearly 600 athletes with and without intellectual disabilities – from up to 31 nations.

SOAP is looking a Finance Director and Manager of Youth Initiatives to join the team.

 

Are you meticulous about numbers, obsessively organized, possess a good dose of focus and discipline, and passionate about the non-profit sector? We are on the look-out for our next Finance Director.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/FinanceHire

 

Eager to galvanise young people across the region as agents of change for a more inclusive world! If you like a challenge, are a super multi-tasker, and have a flair for enterprise, apply now at this link. https://bit.ly/YouthHire