The Spread the Word>>Inclusion awareness day is coming up on March 4, and Special Olympics BC wants to celebrate inclusion with you. We are hosting a #PledgeToIncludeSOBC photo contest on social media and inviting you to share your favourite photo of inclusion!
To help Spread the Word>>Inclusion, enter your photo of inclusion from February 19 to March 4, for your chance to win a team-signed Vancouver Canucks jersey! We’re grateful to the Canucks for their ongoing leadership in demonstrating respect for all, and everyone can join them by sharing their photos of inclusion.
How to enter:
- Pick your favourite photo showing inclusion!
- Post on Facebook or Instagram, tagging @specialolympicsbc, or on Twitter tagging @sobcsociety.
- Include the hashtag #PledgeToIncludeSOBC.
- You can post up to five pictures per social media account. But you can only win once!
- Post your photo(s) from February 19 to March 4.
- The winner will be selected in a random draw and announced on Special Olympics BC’s social media channels.
If you have any questions, please contact SOBC Communications Manager Megan Pollock by email or by phone at 604-737-3077 / 1-888-854-2276 toll-free.
About Spread the Word>>Inclusion
More than ever, the world is in need of action for inclusion. In schools, workplaces, and communities, old and new divisions are leading to exclusion, social isolation, and social abuse, robbing all of us of the opportunity to learn and grow together. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are keenly aware of these hurtful divisions, as many of the nearly 200 million people with IDDs globally continue to be marginalized and excluded in schools, workplaces, and communities around the world.
But it doesn’t need to be this way. An inclusive world can be created through individual acts of inclusion – finding and welcoming those who have been left out, being a teammate, becoming a friend. We believe that inclusion is a skill that we can all practice – and when we do, we become better at including all people. That’s why we are asking everyone to pledge to include, to commit to an act of inclusion in their school, workplace, or community. These actions can be as simple as sitting with someone alone at lunch, inviting someone who has been excluded to join a pick-up sports game, or welcoming someone
The Spread the Word to End the Word campaign has been working to spread respect and inclusion for the past 11 years by addressing the excluding and demeaning impact of the words “retard(ed).” Since 2009, more than 1 million people have pledged to end their use of the R-word. In 2017, 70 per cent of teens said they spoke out against the wrong and demeaning use of the R-word when they heard it used in conversation. Contrast that with 2009, when only 48 per cent of teens spoke up against it.
The campaign’s current form – Spread the Word>>Inclusion – builds on the success of the past decade by continuing to challenge everyone to commit to respect and include.
Special Olympics champions throughout B.C. and around the world support Spread the Word>>Inclusion to promote inclusion and respect for people with intellectual disabilities.
There are inspiring grassroots events happening year-round in schools and communities throughout the province. This year, many Youth Engagement Project champions are And Special Olympics BC and our supporters share messages of respect and understanding through social media both on and around the Spread the Word>>Inclusion awareness day and all year round, reaching thousands of followers.
There is much left to do to end exclusion, so we are calling on all people to pledge to include. Pledge to include at www.spreadtheword.global and show us your pledge of inclusion by tagging @specialolympicsbc and @PledgeToInclude on Facebook and Instagram / @sobcsociety and @PledgeToInclude on Twitter.