SNAP Spring 2023 Workshops

About the SNAP Program

We invite children of determination between the ages of 7-15 years and who fit the below criteria to apply for the program.  

For the first three weeks, the program will run once a week on Wednesdays. For the rest of the four weeks, the program will run twice a week, on both Mondays and Wednesdays. 

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 7-15 years.
• Must be physically comfortable moving up and down a basketball court.
• Must have participated in group activities before and be comfortable with receiving instruction from multiple people.
• Must be available to join all nine session dates. 
  The first three weeks, sessions will only run Wednesdays (February 1-15), and for the remaining weeks, sessions will run both Mondays and Wednesdays (February 20-March 8). 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.

Important Dates

• Wednesday, February 1, 2023
• Wednesday, February 8, 2023
• Wednesday, February 15, 2023
• Monday, February 20, 2023
• Wednesday, February 22, 2023
• Monday, February 27, 2023
• Wednesday, March 1, 2023
• Monday, March 6, 2023
• Wednesday, March 8, 2023

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 goal of the program is 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 and Health Education (PHE) course as part of NYUAD’s wider efforts towards inclusion and legacy efforts from the Special Olympics World Games 2019.