SNAP Fall 2022 Workshops

About the SNAP Program

We invite children of determination between the ages of 10-15 years and who fit the below criteria to apply for the program.  

The program will run once a week on Wednesdays for a period of six consecutive weeks. Registration is for all six sessions.

Our hope is to help participants achieve progress in improving social skills through sport and mentorship with NYUAD student buddies under the guidance of professional athletic instructors.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be a child with an intellectual disability between the ages of 10-15 years.
• Must be physically comfortable moving up and down a basketball court.
• Must have participated in group activities before and comfortable with receiving instruction from multiple buddies.
• Must be available to join all six session dates on Wednesday beginning on October 26 till December 7, 2022. Session dates are outlined below.
• Children need to be transported to NYUAD’s Saadiyat Campus each session and parents or guardians are required to stay for the duration of each session.
• Participants and their guardians must be able to present Green Al Hosn to enter the NYUAD Saadiyat Campus.
  

Important Dates

• Wednesday, October 26, 2022
• Wednesday, November 2, 2022
• Wednesday, November 9, 2022
• Wednesday, November 16, 2022
• Wednesday, November 23, 2022
• Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Time

5:15–6:30pm

What is SNAP?

SNAP (Special Needs Adaptive Programs) at NYU Abu Dhabi provides inclusive adaptive recreational sports coaching to children with special needs in the Abu Dhabi and UAE community. This popular program was co-founded by NYUAD’s Office of Community Outreach and NYUAD Athletics with community partner Goals UAE in spring 2015. SNAP pairs NYUAD volunteers with young participants of determination as ‘buddies,’ mentoring the children under the direction of NYUAD physical education instructors. The goals of the program are to provide a safe inclusive environment, using recreational sports as a means to improve social communication skills and integration with children of determination. Since its launch, the NYUAD SNAP program has hosted iterations across football, basketball, aquatics, and artistic movement. 

Formerly a popular volunteer program, the SNAP program has now been developed into a credit-bearing Physical Education (PE) course as part of NYUAD’s wider efforts towards inclusion and legacy efforts from the Special Olympics World Games 2019.