Agnes Melvin, a former Special Olympics Ireland athlete, volunteered at the athletics competition of the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games. [Photo by Ray McManus]
Leonid Stroiline, an avid Special Olympics athlete, Special Olympics Russia Board Member and Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger, is also the driving force behind a volunteer athlete committee being organized at Internat (boarding school) No.16 in Moscow.
Read more about Stroiline’s project
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Athletes as Volunteers
Many athletes report that after years of participating in Special Olympics, they feel that they have a grasp of the fundamentals of how the organization works and how they might like to help provide the program as opposed to always being on the receiving side. Sometimes they help out when parents or friends volunteer, but wish that they could be given a job to do on their own. Many athletes report that they are looking for new activities and challenges.
Providing athletes the chance to formally volunteer gives them an opportunity to continue their involvement with Special Olympics in new and challenging ways. Athlete volunteers provide a new source of reliable volunteers to help expand program offerings in sports and activities that the athletes are most interested in.
How do athletes as volunteers help Special Olympics Programs?
When communities and other athletes see athletes stepping up to increasingly responsible volunteer roles, they see the Special Olympics Program as inclusive and cutting edge. When athletes see an opportunity to grow and take on new roles, it keeps them from getting bored and dropping out of Special Olympics.
When athletes serve as equals in a volunteer capacity, they give feedback and input to Special Olympics leadership and other volunteers that makes everyone work harder and glean more satisfaction from the effort. An athlete working in a volunteer role can explain what he or she thinks and sees at each part of an event. That perspective is critical to an organization that prides itself on being athlete centered.
Special Olympics has a three-hour workshop presentation and eight one-hour volunteer management in-service modules to support this effort.
For more information on specific ALPs initiatives, visit the links below:
• ALPs Training
• Athletes on Boards of Directors
• Athletes as Coaches
• Athletes as Officials
• Global Messengers
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