The topic that I want to work on and develop is inclusion. In this world, so many people are misjudged and misinterpreted. I want this to change, but I am going to focus on one specific group that I want this to change for. I am going to focus on those with special needs because it is a big part of my life and really has changed the person that I am becoming. Growing up, I always wanted to be the popular kid and only focused on having the most friends. As I grew up, I realized that it's not about being popular or having the most friends, but rather having true friends and staying true to yourself. When I got involved with Special Olympics, this idea of being popular completely faded away. All I wanted to do was be around people that were true friends and those with special needs seemed to want the same thing, just people who would treat them like a normal person. I took it upon myself to make those with special needs feel welcome and to help lead the rest of the community to accept these truly amazing human beings. My goal this year is to expand this goal and get more people to include those with special needs and acknowledge them as normal people.
This topic became so intriguing to me because my mom worked with those with special needs in her job. As a young child, I was going to events where I would see those with special needs and watch my mom walk about to them hug them, high five them, and treat them like she treated me. At first, I was scared to be around them as I was young and didn't fully understand what was happening and why it was happening, but as I got older I followed in my moms footsteps. I started seeing these kids at my school and saw how my friends wouldn't talk to them or even made fun of them at times and I wanted to change this. I would always go out of my way to talk to those with special needs and show them that I cared about them. I care so much about this because I know that these people are truly amazing and people that everyone should want to be surrounded by and I feel like it needs to be spread to everyone else in the world that is missing out on such a wonderful experience. I am now taking bigger steps in making this goal become reality and to help change the lives of those with special needs. Making those with special needs feel welcomed and cared about is very important to me.
Learning about this even more then I already have will help me to not take things for granted and truly appreciate everything I have. Many people don't realize how good of a life they live in comparison to those with special needs. Of course, everyone has their own problems, but compared to the problems that those with special needs face everyday, our problems mean nothing. Although they may face worse problems then we do, its not about the problems people face, but rather how you overcome those problems. Those with special needs face so many difficulties and never give up on anything. They keeping going no matter how many time they get knocked down. Learning about how special needs people overcome their difficulties will help us, as a society, overcome our little and big problems. This will be an enriching experience because our society can realize to appreciate the things and opportunities they have and how to overcome the many obstacles they will face throughout life by the inspiration from those with special needs.
This topic requires an understanding of psychology in that people need to understand what is going on inside those with special needs and people also need to respect what they are going through. Although we are trying to promote inclusion and interaction with these people, respecting their space and wishes is very important. Another important thing to understand is organizing and planning. In order for this inclusion to take place and work in a successful manner, people must get together to plan events in which those with special needs and the other students can interact. Reading literature can also help in that literature presents the thoughts that are happening in peoples minds. With reading a lot of literature, one can more easily understand what is happening in the minds of those with special needs. Patience is also very important because many people aren't going to be on board right away, it is going to take some time and patience to successfully get this done.
The way that I will learn about this topic is to continue in the programs that I am already in. Right now I am the president of the Special Olympics club and work with these people a good majority of the time. This helps me to realize how I can help them and how I can successfully get other people involved and on board with my plan. Another program I am involved with is the Youth Activation Committee for Southern California. This is a program that works to spread inclusion all throughout California. I am learning so much about this process and about my topic by being apart of this process. One last thing that will really help me with learning more about this topic is spending time with my cousin. Although he is not mentally retarded, he was recently in a horrible accident and is paralyzed from the waste down. Going through the process and helping him adjust to a new lifestyle will truly help me in understanding and helping others who are in worse or more severe situations.
My goal is to have a dance in which the "normal" students ask someone with special needs to the dance. For this I would need a facility to put on the dance, decorations to make the dance the best it can be, and finally students who are willing to participate. Another thing that I want to do is put on a big game where special needs athletes and Righetti athletes make two teams (intermixed) and compete against each other. Another possibility is to have Righetti athletes and Righetti special needs athletes make one team and compete against another local high school. For this, I would need a facility for the game, uniforms, coaches, fans, referees, food stands, and anything that would be at a normal soccer game, so that the athletes all feel very welcomed and accepted. Finally, my last goal, which may be quite a stretch, is to have a group of kids that really enjoyed this learning lesson, join me at the World Games this summer in Los Angeles. For this, I would need a bus or van for transportation, hotel rooms so we can stay for a few days, chaperones, and many volunteers. As far as meeting people, I want the Righetti Students to meet the Special Olympic athletes from around the world.
In order to share my journey, I will continue to post on my blog as much as I can to update those interested. I will also share my journey through the social media coordinator of my Youth Activation Committee. This will be shared with the national Youth Activation Committee and hopefully be spread all through out the United States. It will be put on twitter, Instagram, and Facebook on the actual Special Olympics of Santa Barbara County page. This journey may also be shared on a radio show, as I have spoken about part of the journey on the radio before. I want my journey to be spread anywhere and everywhere that it can be, not to get me known, but to help spread this idea of inclusion all around the world and promote it to people who don't know about it. As I create this masterpiece, it will help me to promote it in other regions and schools. I can share my journey and inspire people to do the same in their community. With this masterpiece, I can continue my journey throughout college and make an even bigger impact then I do as a high school student.
MY MASTERPIECE IS AWESOME!
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