Saturday, May 22, 2021
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
VIRTUAL & FREE!
Join us for our virtual 2021 Unified Leadership Conference, where we show that no matter the distance, Unified Leadership is as strong as ever in the Special Olympics Wisconsin community. The future is Unified!
Schedule and Session Descriptions:
7:40 am – 8:00 am
- Zoom meeting link will be active for people to join and get organized
8:00 am – 8:15 am
- Welcome remarks from Sr. Dir. of Field Services, Mark Wolfgram, general housekeeping, etc.
8:15 am – 8:40 am
- Welcome message from President & CEO, Kathleen Roach, and Marc Cadieux – Chair Elect of the Board of Directors
8:45 am – 9:30 am
- Session Title: Special Olympics as a leader in Inclusion: from Unified Leadership to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Presenters: VP of Unified Leadership, Jeanne Hrovat & the Athlete Input Council
- Session Description: If you’re a friend of Special Olympics, you know us to be a leader in inclusion for people with disabilities. How does this translate to other areas of inclusion including how athletes lead our movement, what we can teach others about Unified Leadership and how we can transfer this skill to our efforts in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the wider community.
9:30 am – 10:15 am
- Session Title: Transitioning Programs (Unified)
- Presenters: Dir. of Unified Programs, Erin Muehlenkamp & Young Athletes Manager, Jenna Lang
- Session Description: We will go through the developed step-by step-plan starting at Young Athletes all the way to post-school-aged athletes and Unified partners. Join us while we talk more about how this transition can help communities gain more athletes, coaches, Unified partners and volunteers.
OR…
- Session Title: Senior Athletes: Sports & Fitness
- Presenters: Sr. Dir. of Field Services, Mark Wolfgram & Dir. of Health Programs, Brittany Hoegh
- Session Description: Attendees will learn about our Senior Athletes Taskforce that is working on creating opportunities for our older athletes. Topics covered will include Special Olympics North America committees, the direction SOWI is taking, available fitness resources, and potential sporting events.
10:15 am – 10:45 am
- Break / Networking
10:45 am – 11:30 am
- Session Title: Dealing with Negativity of Loneliness and Lashing Out
- Presenter: Dr. Michael Weber
- Dr. Michael Weber is Superintendent of the Port Washington-Saukville School District, has over 30 years of leadership experience, and has published many journal articles and a book on positive attitude and optimism. His article “Coping with Malcontents” was published in the “School Administrator” and has been distributed and read worldwide. Dr. Weber is a popular keynote speaker, a certified stress management consultant, and has advanced training in clinical psychology. He specializes in dealing with negativism; helping employers hire positive, energetic people; and non-defensive communication training to resolve conflicts.
- Session Description: Negative people are tremendous energy drainers for children, other adults, and themselves. They can tear an organization or family apart and create problems for you if you do not handle them effectively. Learn how to deal with negativism and increase your own positive approach toward other people in everyday challenges. Also, learn how to improve the overall atmosphere of your work and home environment and increase the positive energy in any organization.
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
- Session Title: Lighten the Load: Agency Management Team utilizing Unified Leadership
- Session Description: An Agency Management Team (AMT) is one design for dividing agency tasks that SOWI staff has seen to work well and efficiently. An AMT is a working team, not an advisory committee or governing board, which is directed by the Local Program manager. The AMT plays a key role in diversity, equality and inclusion and SOWI Staff will demonstrate how.
12:15 pm – 12:30 pm
- List of Years of Service / Memorial to those we’ve lost in past year
12:30 pm – 12:50 pm
- Awards Presentation
- Student Leader of the Year
- SOWI Special Service Award
- Organization of the Year
- Athlete Leadership Award
12:50 pm
- Final thoughts / Closing Remarks
Supported by Community Partner
