The 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games are paving the way to set a precedent for future generations in the acceptance, empowerment and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, by providing the opportunity for youth to serve as leaders in breaking down destructive stereotypes and creating opportunities to build inclusion and respect.

Next year, the largest sporting event in the world will be the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games, to be held July 18-23 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Leading up to and in conjunction with that event, Special Olympics Project UNIFY will conduct a series of inclusive youth leadership, education and service learning interventions, maximizing the  enthusiasm and spotlight on Special Olympics. It will allow Special Olympics Programs throughout the country to increase their focus on school-based activities that engage students with and without intellectual disabilities, deepen and broaden quality school-based programs that have lasting impacts on students, schools and communities, and provide a national showcase of youth engagement. A series of events held in conjunction with the USA National Games will include the following: 

• A Leadership Roundtable, co-hosted with the U.S. Department of Education, this roundtable will start off the week by engaging national education leaders and policy makers.  It will provide a principle vehicle for developing consensus and a set of proposed policies and national action steps for the participants to move forward that further the cause of youth voice, youth leadership, inclusion and social justice as education principles. A key question the leaders will address is what are the "game changing issues" and strategies that demand national priority and have implications for Special Olympics and Project UNIFY, and society at large. (Sunday, July 18, 2010, Lincoln, Nebraska)  2010 Leadership Roundtable
• A National Youth Activation Summit (NYAS), a completely youth designed and facilitated week of activities, will provide a forum where youth participants acquire and enhance their knowledge and skills needed to activate youth around the country, as well as seeding and facilitating youth leaders and practitioners of the Project UNIFY principles in every state. Through the NYAS, youth will increase their understanding of how social justice movements effect  change  and learn how to apply these tactics  in developing strategies using  Special Olympics as the catalyst through sports and inclusive educational programming (Sunday, July 18 to Saturday, July 24, 2010, Omaha, Nebraska)  2010 National Youth Activation Summit
• A National Education Conference (NEC) will be co-hosted with the University of Nebraska-Omaha, and co-facilitated and led by educators and youth with and without intellectual disabilities, and with participation by both general and special educators from each of the United States. A major focus of the Education Conference will be inclusive practices in the classroom, and how to use inclusive opportunities to enhance school climate. The Education Conference will focus on increasing the knowledge and skills of current and future teachers to effectively motivate and educate all students. There will be overlap and interaction between the NYAS and the NEC in order to promote a laboratory effect. Cross-over topics with the NYAS include advocacy, social networking, diversity and youth engagement. (Sunday, July 18 to Wednesday, July 21, 2010, Omaha, Nebraska)  2010 National Education Conference
• A National Youth Rally will be the culminating youth event of the week, combined with the Special Olympics 2010 USA National Games Closing Ceremony.  The Rally will celebrate a week of athletic achievements and will launch a legacy of commitment to youth service and action moving forward.  An estimated 5,000 youth, with and without intellectual disabilities, will join the closing ceremony audience for an inspiring and motivational event that will be a call to action for the youth of Nebraska and across the United States to take the experience of the USA National Games forward as a new commitment to respect, dignity and acceptance for all.  The National Youth Rally will utilize the power of social media and technology to engage youth and educators around the country in a teachable moment addressing hot button issues around tolerance and acceptance.  Calls to action at the Rally will be designed to motivate and activate youth to find meaningful opportunities to impact their communities and schools through Special Olympics based activities, exponentially increasing our ability to create communities of acceptance and inclusion for all people. (Friday, July 23, 2010, Lincoln, Nebraska)  2010 Closing Ceremony Youth Rally