Special Olympics Maryland 2010 Athlete Congress March 27, 2010 Statement Packet (Facilitators)

1. Special Olympics Maryland 2010 Athlete Congress March 27, 2010Statement Packet (Facilitators)

2. 1. Special Olympics Maryland can have a positive impact on all members of a COMMUNITY. Awareness of our program is best achieved through: • advertising in newspapers, on television, and mailings to the general public. Examples:

3. 2. Sports can play a role in developing lifelong FRIENDSHIPS. Special Olympics Maryland can help athletes build friendships by: • providing athletes with social activities outside of Special Olympics and encouraging athletes to bring social friends into Special Olympics Examples:

4. 3. Special Olympics Maryland provides the OPPORTUNITY for year-round and varied Athlete Leadership Programs (ALPs). To give more athletes the chance to become involved in one or more of these programs, we should be : • creating local Athlete Leadership Program days to share details of leadership opportunities, as well as expanding current ALP programs to more counties. Examples:

5. 4. QUALITY sports training should include encouraging healthy lifestyles. The best way for Special Olympics Maryland to demonstrate this commitment is by: • providing an At-home Training Plan, which includes examples of proper nutrition, wellness, and eating habits. Examples:

6. 5. Sports programs must teach SPORTSMANSHIP in addition to teaching sports skills. Special Olympics Maryland can encourage good sportsmanship by: • conducting seminars for families, volunteers, coaches, and athletes, which focus on treating others with respect, being a good teammate, and demonstrating proper behavior at training sessions and competitions. • Encouraging coaches to role play different aspects of sportsmanship including being humble in victory and gracious in defeat. Examples:

7. 6. The PERSONAL NEEDS of the athletes should be taken seriously. It is important for Special Olympics Maryland to: • be prepared for extreme weather conditions at competitions. Examples:

8. AFTERNOON SESSION: Implementation Planning Special Olympics Maryland 2010 Athlete Congress March 27, 2010 • During the afternoon, delegates meet in groups to create specific implementation plans. Each group is responsible for developing a plan/recipe for one statement from the morning session. Groups discuss and list: • Needs: (What do we need?) • Steps : (What are the steps? How do we make this happen? ) • Ideas are recorded on poster paper and in notes taken during the session. Designate one facilitator to be the note taker. Use the MS Word file (Statement #_SOMD Delegate Congress_Mar2010_notes.doc) loaded on the laptop for note taking. • Transfer the notes from your group to a flash drive for printing. • NOTE: Each delegate will take a copy of their group’s Implementation Plan back to their district at the conclusion of the day’s session.

9. AFTERNOON SESSION: Implementation Planning Implementation Discussions Statement #2: Sports can play a role in developing lifelong FRIENDSHIPS. Special Olympics Maryland can help athletes build friendships by: providing athletes with social activities outside….. Needs: • List of activities • Phone Numbers • Announcements Steps: 1. Decide on a social activity. 2. Decide a location. 3. Decide a date and time. 4. Create an invitation/announcement.