Athlete Leadership
Special Olympics BC recognizes how important it is that leadership comes from within.
Our Athlete Leaders
We create the social space that allows athletes to form a strong and lasting community and feel empowered to speak out on behalf of their peers and themselves. Part of our job is to encourage SOBC athletes to take part in leadership training programs so they can have a voice within their own communities, and become representatives of Special Olympics in B.C., Canada and all over the world.
Through Special Olympics BC Athlete Leadership programs, athletes develop the skills and abilities to take on a range of leadership roles including public speaking, participating on Local Committees and Athlete Input Councils, and assisting as fundraising and program volunteers.
These programs are proven to have a lasting benefit to participants by increasing confidence and self-esteem, and a lasting benefit to Special Olympics as these athlete leaders provide invaluable feedback and insights.
Programs
There are many ways that Special Olympics BC athletes can get involved with public speaking and increase their self-confidence. Our Athlete Leadership programs include:
Athlete Speakers Bureau (public speaking)
Athletes as Program Mentors (helping sport programs)
Athlete Leadership Council (providing guidance on committees)
Health Messenger and Health Heroes (health education and advocacy)
Athlete Reporter (sharing stories and working with media)
And more!
Athletes and volunteer peer mentors are invited to get involved by joining the SOBC Athlete Leadership Academy!
To learn more about Athlete Leadership and engage local athlete leaders, please contact athleteleadership@specialolympics.bc.ca.
Special Olympics athlete leaders are active in a wide range of roles in their communities and all over the province, country, and planet. They provide important perspectives and lead the way to a more inclusive world!
SOBC Athlete Leaders in Action
The SOBC Athlete Leadership Council has representatives from Regions around the province.
SOBC – Surrey athlete Susan Wang currently serves as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messenger, one of only 10 worldwide! She advocates for Special Olympics and inclusion all over the world as a Global Messenger for the 2024 to 2027 term. Susan also serves on the Special Olympics Canada Athlete Leadership Council and the SOBC Athlete Leadership Council.
SOBC – Smithers athlete Torben Schuffert is the Region 7 Representative on the SOBC Athlete Input Council and represented B.C. and Canada in the Global Athlete Congress at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin. As part of his Congress duties, he successfully ran an engaging inclusion project in his community!
SOBC – Langley athlete Matthew Williams currently serves on the provincial SOBC Leadership Council and Athlete Leadership Council. He participated in our province’s Athlete Leadership programs and went on to serve as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver Global Messenger in the 2011 to 2014 cohort, as the Chair of the Special Olympics Global Athlete Congress from 2010 to 2018, and as a Special Olympics International Board Member. In 2015, he delivered a TEDxVancouver talk that drew two standing ovations from the crowd of thousands at Rogers Arena and has been watched more than 1.1 million times online!
