This year we had the chance to cover the Global Youth Leadership Summit in Abu Dhabi, during the Special Olympics 2019 World Games. It was a very special experience for us, both on a professional and on a personal level, and we would like to share more about it with you.

The Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization. Its aim is to provide year-round sports training and competition in several Olympic sports for people with intellectual disabilities. This gives them the chance to develop physically, experience joy, share gifts with families and friends, and play together with other athletes in unified teams. The Special Olympics World Games take place every two year alternating Winter and Summer games. If you want to know more about this fantastic organization, take a look at their official website: www.specialolympics.org

For the Special Olympics 2019, our team was entrusted with the filming of the events, workshops and different activities held during the Global Youth Leadership Summit. This Summit brings together young people with and without intellectual disabilities from all over the world, to spread the ideals of Special Olympics and prove the power of the #UnifiedGeneration! We had to realize a short highlight video with the most special moments of the week, and a longer one filled with interviews and comments by some of the attendants.

We kicked off the week with the opening ceremony of the Summit, where both director Tim Shriver and board of directors’ member Ray Lane took the stage to talk to the attendants and welcome them. Over the week, the Summit participants took part in many panels and discussions on several different topics, such as inclusion, technology, and how to present a project to the public. Since this was the first time the Special Olympics took place in the Middle East, many Emirati representatives joined the discussions, underlining the importance of this occasion for the UAE and the legacy that has to follow.

We mainly filmed inside the New York University buildings in Abu Dhabi, except for a couple of activities which took place outside. These included the visit to an Abu Dhabi unified school which was very significative, and ended in a football match between two unified teams. At the end of the week, each delegation had the chance to explain to the others a project they hold dear, something they wanted to carry on once back home, with the help of special posters created for the occasion.

But the week wasn’t all duty and meetings! All participants also enjoyed some party time, with the so-called “cultural night”. Some delegations took part in a cultural “competition” performing in front of a special jury, and presenting something peculiar of their own home country to all the other delegations watching. Performances included dancing, singing and even an acrobatic kind of tennis playing! The week ended with one more little joy for us, when our first highlight video was shown during the closing ceremony of the Summit, as the event came to a close. Everyone liked it, and that seemed like the perfect conclusion for a great week!

As always, all footage for these videos was filmed using top-quality equipment, including Sony Alpha 7III cameras, DJI Ronin S gimbal, Sennheiser microphones, Manfrotto tripods and light kits. Our camera crews are always available for event video productions in the UAE, as well as all other kinds of production. You can find all examples on our video services page, and ask for a free quote.

Below you can take a look at our highlight video of the week. If you like it, go hit the subscribe button on our YouTube Channel and give it a thumbs up!