His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, provided $ 25 million in support of the "Unified Heroes Schools" program, which is one of the largest initiatives aimed at achieving integration in the field of education, and the participation of young people with intellectual disabilities With their schoolmates, with the aim of the global expansion in the field of integration, to include six other countries: Egypt, Argentina, India, Pakistan, Romania and Rwanda, under the supervision of the International Special Olympics.
Yesterday, the International Special Olympics announced the next stage of the global expansion of the "Unified Heroes Schools" program, confirming the success achieved by the program during more than 10 years in the United States of America, and its global resonance in more than 50 countries around the world.
The Special Olympics International will oversee the expansion of the "Unified Heroes Schools" program, within these countries, by empowering young leaders to achieve lasting social change, by applying inclusion in the school, and providing a more supportive environment for students of interest alongside their other fellow students, and assisting them To show their abilities.
"The Special Olympics movement is supervised by a group of young leaders of determination and others, who have emerged as influential people in society, and have contributed to promoting sympathy, courage and humanity in the world towards these groups," said Special Olympics President Dr. Timothy Shriver.
"While we seek to achieve a more joyful and fair future in this world that has become more volatile and sophisticated than ever, we are putting our hopes in our young leaders, who are able to overcome the barriers of fear and separation, to become symbols of hope, and as models for spreading the spirit of unity."
He expressed thanks and appreciation for the exceptional support that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan provided to athletes and their partners in the "Unified Heroes Schools" program, saying: "There is no doubt that his wise vision and unlimited support play a pivotal role in empowering young people all over the world, and highlighting their capabilities and skills. To be role models in order to get rid of the barriers that separate people, which resulted from injustice and intolerance, and work to end discrimination against people with mental challenges, and to build solid societies and cultures, in which everyone is valued and respected. ”
The goal of accelerating the deployment and implementation of this initiative in the UAE and the world aims to consolidate the gains and achievements of the Special Olympics for World Games (Abu Dhabi 2019), which Abu Dhabi hosted for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region, in a humanitarian sporting event, aimed at empowering people of determination and making a positive impact on The long term in Emirati society.
For his part, Youssef Manea Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the United States of America said: “The UAE and the Special Olympics bring together a shared vision of a world without discrimination towards the people of determination. All cultures and abilities, and their celebration, and the expansion of the Unified Heroes Schools program will undoubtedly contribute to consolidating the values of tolerance and inclusion within the educational systems in the world.
The "Unified Heroes Schools" program encourages social inclusion in a way that ensures benefit in schools, from kindergarten through to the university stage, by bringing together those with mental challenges with their colleagues in a school environment that guarantees the acceptance of all students, and depends on three components Interconnected: the Unified Games of Special Olympics, inclusive youth leadership, and the participation of the whole school.
In the United States, the "Unified Heroes Schools" program is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs in the US Department of Education, and through this support, the "Unified Heroes Schools" program is implemented in 49 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to include more than 285 thousand students In more than 7,600 schools, and outside the United States, the "Unified Heroes Schools" program has grown around the world, through the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and many other global and local partners.
Deprivation and distance from education
The category of young people with mental challenges is one of the groups most exposed to deprivation and distance from education systems in the world, where statistics indicate that among the 65 million children who do not benefit from any educational program at all around the world at the age of primary school, almost half are from People of determination.
While some estimate that less than 5% of students of determination will complete their educational career in the event that all capabilities are available to register and benefit from educational programs.
In addition to the grant of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the UAE has affirmed its commitment and keenness to implement the "Unified Heroes Schools" program, within all government schools in the country during the coming years, to be the first country to achieve This commitment at the international level.