Youth camp to honour Special Olympics founder

Special Olympics South Africa will host a youth camp to honour the founder of the Special Olympics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver in Alexandra from 23 to 27 September.

In 1962, Shriver invited young people with intellectual disabilities to a summer day camp that she hosted in her backyard, and from it Camp Shriver was born which eventually led to the formation of the Special Olympics.

Shriver believed that people with intellectual disabilities were capable of achieving more than anyone thought was possible, provided they received the same opportunities as everyone else.

The camp will take place at Three Square, where young people from special schools and mainstream schools will be given an opportunity to participate in unified sports and numerous activities throughout the week.

Activities will focus on understanding and accepting people of different abilities. The camp will give about 120 young people the opportunity to learn football, basketball and athletics skills. The youth will also engage in activities that will help them learn life skills presented by organisations such as Love Life, National Youth Development Agency, Alexandra Youth Development Association, Youth Fit and Grass Roots Soccer.

Co-ordinator of the event, Alex resident Wanga Manyala hopes to bring about a change in his community, and said the main aim was to foster a culture of inclusion in communities for people with intellectual disabilities.

“With this camp, we are hoping to change attitudes and honour Eunice Kennedy Shriver by demonstrating that sports is one of the most powerful tools to unite us.”