Background:
The Spread the Word to End the Word movement was founded in 2009 by two youth leaders at the Special Olympics Global Youth Activation Summit. The campaign observed its first annual Spread the Word to End the Word National Awareness Day on March 31, 2009. People of all ages pledged to stop using the R-word and to motivate others to do the same.
One of Spread the Word’s main goals is to encourage others to replace the R-word with the word: “respect.” Through the support of Special Olympics and Best Buddies, as well as the help of numerous other advocacy groups, the campaign expanded from a few events in 2009 to thousands of schools by 2018.
People who use the R-word frequently do so without considering the hurt it causes to those who have intellectual disabilities or the social exclusion it results in. In cooperation with Special Olympics and Best Buddies, millions of individuals have made personal commitments to stop using the R-word and to inform others about its harmful effects by signing both physical and digital pledges. There are currently 883,553 who have participated in the Pledge to Spread The World. Furthermore, Spread The Word is established in over 6,000 schools and over 80 countries.
Santaluces Event:
This year, our event will be Thursday, March 7th, during both lunches, where the Best Buddies club will have tables set up for a pledge and other arts and crafts to help support Special Olympics’ international initiative and mission to make this world a more inclusive place. Our club (Best Buddies) is also doing a fundraiser from Feb 7th to March 7th, where we are selling friendship bracelets and stickers, so the Spread the Word event will be the last day for those sales.
Previously, for this event Best Buddies has:
- Painted rocks
- Thumb hearts (See picture attached below)
- Face Paint
