Gerald: Thank you, Spiffy! I work for the Special Olympics’ Unified with Refugees program, a global platform where athletes extend an invitation of friendship to refugees and migrants, supporting and bringing critical, community-based inclusive programming to a population in need of empowerment, protection, and support to break down barriers of exclusion. This platform is committed to ensuring that all refugee youths can benefit from the same opportunities as others, and continues to transform the lives of refugee and migrant youth—of all abilities—through sport and related programming.
Oliver: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! I’m addressing the challenge of a lack of sanitary products for girls and the presence of period stigma in schools. I attended a school where a menstruating girl would have to go back home and stay there until her menses were done due to fear of frequently facing the chronic issues of period stigma and poverty. I’m solving it by making a pads vending machine and providing it to schools to enable girls who are victims of period poverty to access pads at a very affordable price. I also conducted seminars to ensure that we educate boys and everyone else on period stigma and period stereotypes.
Raven: Glad to be with you, Spiffy! We believe in equitable literacy access for all! More than just encompassing the ability to read and write, literacy is essential for developing critical thinking skills, educational opportunities, and building sustainable communities. Since 2017, “The Zuri Reads Initiative,” (TZRI) has provided literacy access, events, and resources for children, students, and families across Metropolitan Detroit and beyond. Seeking to do our part in addressing the widening literacy gap(s) occurring across educative communities, our goal is to take literacy to the people!
