Egypt partners with Google to promote 'unmatched diversity' tourism campaign    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Taiwan GDP surges on tech demand    World Bank: Global commodity prices to fall 17% by '26    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    UNFPA Egypt, Bayer sign agreement to promote reproductive health    Egypt to boost marine protection with new tech partnership    France's harmonised inflation eases slightly in April    Eygpt's El-Sherbiny directs new cities to brace for adverse weather    CBE governor meets Beijing delegation to discuss economic, financial cooperation    Egypt's investment authority GAFI hosts forum with China to link business, innovation leaders    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's Gypto Pharma, US Dawa Pharmaceuticals sign strategic alliance    Egypt's Foreign Minister calls new Somali counterpart, reaffirms support    "5,000 Years of Civilizational Dialogue" theme for Korea-Egypt 30th anniversary event    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Angola's Lourenço discuss ties, African security in Cairo talks    Egypt's Al-Mashat urges lower borrowing costs, more debt swaps at UN forum    Two new recycling projects launched in Egypt with EGP 1.7bn investment    Egypt's ambassador to Palestine congratulates Al-Sheikh on new senior state role    Egypt pleads before ICJ over Israel's obligations in occupied Palestine    Sudan conflict, bilateral ties dominate talks between Al-Sisi, Al-Burhan in Cairo    Cairo's Madinaty and Katameya Dunes Golf Courses set to host 2025 Pan Arab Golf Championship from May 7-10    Egypt's Ministry of Health launches trachoma elimination campaign in 7 governorates    EHA explores strategic partnership with Türkiye's Modest Group    Between Women Filmmakers' Caravan opens 5th round of Film Consultancy Programme for Arab filmmakers    Fourth Cairo Photo Week set for May, expanding across 14 Downtown locations    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Ancient military commander's tomb unearthed in Ismailia    Egypt's FM inspects Julius Nyerere Dam project in Tanzania    Egypt's FM praises ties with Tanzania    Egypt to host global celebration for Grand Egyptian Museum opening on July 3    Ancient Egyptian royal tomb unearthed in Sohag    Egypt hosts World Aquatics Open Water Swimming World Cup in Somabay for 3rd consecutive year    Egyptian Minister praises Nile Basin consultations, voices GERD concerns    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



‘You are inspired every day'
Published in Al-Ahram Weekly on 09 - 12 - 2014

Janet Froetscher took over as Special Olympics CEO a year ago. “I got to know about Special Olympics a long time ago as it is a very famous and well known organisation in the US.
“From my point of view, it is an extraordinary organisation that makes a great difference. They were looking for a well experienced person with vast experience in a global organisation and Special Olympics was very appealing for me as it serves the intellectually disabled. So I applied and was appointed as the new CEO.
Before joining SOI, Froetscher had worked with a number of social service organisations and schools and “got to meet a number of intellectually disabled whom I enjoyed being with”.
Taking over the responsibility of 4.4 million athletes and 81,000 competitions throughout the world, Froetscher fell in love with the movement. “I love it. Once you work with Special Olympics you can never quit. For me, the athletes are adorable and amazing. It is an easy job for me because you are inspired every day. It is a global organisation so you always find interesting global challenges and this is what I like.”
According to Froetscher, “in social work, when you work with students who quit schools or are addicts, you see the results a bit later but in Special Olympics it is completely different and that is why our mission is much easier than any other career I had experienced before.
“If you spend a sports day with one of our athletes, you feel the impact of our mission and you see the result directly, not like any other place. We use sports to build confidence skills, personal skills and bring intellectually disabled into the community society. There is research that tells us that. Practicing sports with intellectually disabled also has an impact on those who are not intellectually disabled. The challenges is that I have many countries that are suffering from a lot of disruption and instabilities so part of our challenge is how to work and grow a global organisation and work on all levels with those different countries all over the world.”
Asking if she was afraid to come to Egypt, Froetscher said she feared no such thing. “We are an organisation that works with the impossible dream. You can't be afraid of anything. I know that the region is suffering a lot of trouble but among those challenges you need something inspiring and you need to gather people together and that is what we are doing. I don't think there is a more powerful way to bring people together except through practicing sports.”
Although it is my first visit to Egypt, I think it is fantastic. And so was the 8th Regional Games.”
She added that she felt very happy to hear that the event was held under the patronage of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi.”We need to change attitudes and one of the biggest challenges for athletes is that the people don't know what the intellectually disabled can do so they don't want to include them in society.
So one important thing is that when our athletes are acknowledged by celebrities and famous people this will open people's hearts and minds to accept and include Special Olympics athletes in society.”
About the MENA region, “SO MENA is facing a challenge. It is one of the most difficult regions we have to work and operate with but in spite of this we are making progress: we are adding athletes, we are adding games, we are adding youth. It is the 8th here in SO MENA while in SO Asia Pacific I have just attended their first Games and SO Europe/ Euroasia their second, so we are really progressing in the MENA region in spite of all challenges. At the global level we were targeting 5.3 million athletes by the end of 2015 so we will be able to reach it and this is perfect.
“We want to go on with our health programmes. To be an athlete you have to be healthy. We have to complete with family programmes. We added a young athlete programme that will be launched alongside the Games. It deals with intellectually disabled aged two to eight. We said when we impact early you attract a larger number of athletes and for a longer period of time and you help more families as they will meet other families who can help them through exchanging experiences and through the services that the Special Olympics movement offers them. They received nine-month training on motor skills development and you can really see the change. There is a lot of research that showed that there is a link between developing motor skills and cognitive ones.”
Froetscher thinks Ayman Abdel-Wahab, SO MENA region president and regional director, is a man who makes the impossible happen. “He has great vision, determination and a strong will. He is respected inside Egypt and all around the MENA region and we are lucky to have him with us.”
“I know that the MENA region under his leadership is intending to bid to host one of our World Summer Games and I think they can. I am here to raise enthusiasm and interest in our movement and its athletes and I will really appreciate it if MENA is capable of doing so.
“The Special Olympics movement as a global movement is targeting to look as a movement and to have something that tells our story to the world. We are especially targeting the youth who are the future and where intellectually disabled athletes play with the able-bodied to form a team. Our athletes told us ‘we don't want to feel different. We want to feel as a part of the community'. When they play together they will no longer fear them and the ice will break so the walls hindering the inclusion of mentally disabled will fall and from here came the idea of the Special Olympics' Red Ball that invites the world to play unified, hand in hand with our intellectually disabled athletes.”
Prior to being Special Olympics CEO, Froetscher was chief executive officer of the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago where she led the merger of 54 United Ways into a single entity. She also served as chief operating officer of the Aspen Institute. Her corporate experience includes leadership roles within the Commercial Club of Chicago and Bankers Trust Company.
Froetscher holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University. She is a board member of the Chicago Board Options Exchange and Chicago Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Chicago Network and Commercial Club of Chicago. Froetscher is also a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute.


Clic here to read the story from its source.