29th July, New Delhi: The third edition of Pratishtha came with its own character. Some known faces along with many more that added on, could be seen. The event was organized on 28 July 2019 by the Youth Activation Committee – NCR, this year headed by the Youth leaders Param Ahuja and Siddhant Nath and supported by 60 Volunteers from Tagore International School Vasant Vihar& East of Kailash , Apeejay Pitampura , Amity University UP (NOIDA) and other colleges.
Hanuman Park, Chirag Delhi witnessed an approximate attendance of 1000 persons over a period of 3 hours, among which 350 registered to play cricket, football, badminton, volleyball, powerlifting, Kho-Kho and tug of war. Cricket, this year, fetched the maximum number of registrations as against powerlifting that gravitated maximum numbers earlier during both the years. The public park robust with activity caught the attention of the evening walkers and also had the MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj and local Councillor- Pooja Jhakkar address the crowd. Mr Bhardwaj expressed his delight on seeing the youth leading an initiative spreading awareness of the Special Olympics Athletes while Ms Pooja Jhakkar encouraged and thanked them for being part of this barrier free celebration. An additional Zumba session kept crowds of all ages tapping their feet for most of the evening.
The Youth planned and executed the event. Siddhant Nath had identified the park and arranged for some of the Coaches while Himanshu connected the YAC with the local MLA. Many more partners came on board. Simran Sahni and the team roped in the Robin Hood Army for the second year in a row. The Robin Hood Army is a volunteer based organisation that works to get surplus food from restaurants to the less fortunate sections of society in cities across India and 12 other countries. There may be a possibility for them to connect with Special Olympics during district games across other states of India.
Pratishtha, a Community Outreach initiative, was conceptualized in July 2017 by the Special Olympics Youth leaders with the objective to go beyond boundaries of schools and colleges to spread awareness about Special Olympics and to promote & celebrate inclusion. The baton of conducting the event passes from one Youth leader to the other, each year.
Special Olympics upholds the incredible potential and power of the youth to change the game to a more inclusive community through sport. They are the key players in creating an inclusive society for all. Special Olympics envisions a world in which all people are valued for their unique contributions to their community and are respected, included and welcomed in society regardless of their different abilities. Young people with and without intellectual disabilities (ID) are critical to creating this world.
About Special Olympics Bharat
Special Olympics Bharat is a National Sports Federation accredited by Special Olympics Inc. to conduct sports and development programs all over India. Special Olympics Bharat is registered with the Indian Trusts Act 1882 and is recognized by the Government of India as a National Sports Federation 2006 for the development of Sports for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities. It has been designated as the Nodal Agency in 2010 by the Indian Government for conduct of sports for all disabilities on account of its national presence, outreach and experience. We currently work with over 1.4 million people across all the States and Union Territories of India.
Special Olympics is a global inclusion movement using sport, health, education and leadership programs every day around the world to end discrimination against and empower people with intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1968, the Special Olympics movement has grown to more than 6 million athletes and Unified Sports partners in more than 190 countries across seven regions.
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