Athlete Leadership University

Athlete Leadership

Fall registration is closed.

Special Olympics Indiana’s foundational program is Athlete Leadership University, which meets two weekends per year (Fall and Spring). Starting with the “Introduction to Athlete Leadership” course, athletes learn about Special Olympics, create a personal mission statement, and plan how they can lead in the organization.

Athletes then select one of seven majors — communication, events, governance, health and fitness, sports, technology, and leadership through visual arts. Each major consists of a series of courses leading to graduation two to three years later. Following each class session, an athlete must complete a practicum related to the course topic. Review our Handbook for Athlete Leaders for more details on Athlete Leadership University and the curriculum.

Contact Elesia Yoon with any questions.

Fall 2024 Session

Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12-13, at Butler University.

Fall 2024 Courses

Core Course: Introduction to Athlete Leadership (first course for a new leader), limit of12
Core Course: Understanding Leadership (must have completed Introduction to Athlete Leadership)
Communications: Global Messenger I
Events: Event Planning
Governance: Introduction to Governance
Health & Fitness: Health Advocates (must have completed Introduction to Health & Fitness)
Sports: Training Fundamentals
Technology: Digital Media
Technology: Presentation Design (new class focused on creating slides, flyers and more)
Visual Arts: Leadership Through Visual Arts I
Core Course: Leadership Capstone

Hotel Information

Special Olympics Indiana ALU has arranged for a block of rooms at the Drury Inn Carmel. SOIN does not paying for the rooms. We only reserved a block of rooms at a special rate. Special rates ended Sept. 9. You will be asked to hold your rooms with a credit card. Please contact your county coordinator for the hotel reservation code.

Contact Elesia Yoon with any questions.

Fall 2024 Schedule

DAY 1 (tentative)

10:30 a.m. – Noon: Leader networking, activities and mentor training.

Noon – 5:30 p.m.: Opening session, course instruction, lunch break.

DAY 2 (tentative)

8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Course Instruction, lunch break

1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: Closing session

2:45 p.m.: Class photo

*-All times Eastern

General information

Current Leadership Opportunities

Visit Leadership Opportunities to explore how you can use your leadership skills.

ALC Registration Form

Ready to register your local ALC? Fill out the ALC Registration Form

State Office Contact

Elesia Yoon
Dean, Athlete Leadership University
Director, Organizational Development

Please visit our Resource Library for more information about current and upcoming Athlete Leadership University semesters.

Athlete Leadership Councils

Athletes who participate in Athlete Leadership Council discuss ideas and problems, respond to program proposals, make suggestions and propose recommendations to the State Office and County programs. Athletes have the opportunity to participate in their County ALC and State ALC. The SOIN Board of Directors approved the athlete-led recommendation for every county program to have an ALC. The Indiana Athlete Leadership Council was reimagined in 2019 and added to the Special Olympics Indiana organizational bylaws. The policy provides guidelines to counties for participation in the statewide ALC. For more information, read the Athlete Leadership Council Overview and the Athlete Leadership Council handbook.