Sport
Special Olympics and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Team up for Global Youth-Led Campaign for Inclusion in Education
This new three-year grant will build on SNF's support since 1998 by expanding Special Olympics' Unified Schools program, which embeds inclusive sports and inclusive youth leadership in school settings. The expansion will reach almost 3,000 schools in 22 countries. In addition, the grant will launch both a robust thought leadership campaign on the theme of inclusion as well as the creation of the first-ever Global Coalition for Inclusion and Education, a coalition of national governments, United Nations agencies, foreign aid agencies and Foundations whose aim it is to strengthen social inclusion globally through education.
"SNF seeks to support lasting social change for the better, and Special Olympics has a proven record of helping create permanent shifts in mindset that ripple outward from individuals to schools, families, communities, and nations," said SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos . "Committed and energized young people of all abilities are showing us the way to a more inclusive future. SNF is proud to be part of the effort to amplify their voices while delivering key services in schools worldwide."
Through , Special Olympics and SNF have transformed school settings into communities of acceptance and inclusion. Since 2018, has reached over 190,000 youth with and without intellectual disabilities in 14 countries, generating evidence that Unified Schools programming is a powerful tool for fostering inclusive mindsets and behaviors:
Building off the success of , Special Olympics and SNF will launch the Global Campaign for Inclusion, elevating a youth-led message of inclusion to the thought leaders who shape mainstream public discourse and convene a Global Leadership Coalition for Education and Inclusion, propelling more communities toward a shared commitment to inclusion and the celebration of our common humanity.
Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With more than six million athletes and Unified Sports partners in over 201 countries and territories and more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and over 100,000 games and competitions in a typical year. Engage with us on: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and our blog on Medium. Learn more at www.SpecialOlympics.org.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is one of the world's leading private, international philanthropic organizations, making grants to nonprofit organizations in the areas of arts and culture, education, health and sports, and social welfare SNF funds organizations and projects worldwide that aim to achieve a broad, lasting, and positive impact for society at large, and exhibit strong leadership and sound management. The Foundation also supports projects that facilitate the formation of public-private partnerships as an effective means for serving public welfare. Since 1996, the Foundation has committed more than $3.2 billion through over 5,000 grants to nonprofit organizations in more than 135 countries around the world. See more at SNF.org.
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