Over 700 young adult members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered in Berlin last week for a European Service Conference, focused on volunteering at the 2023 Special Olympics. As volunteers, they were also invited to attend the grand opening ceremony at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with around 50,000 spectators.
The service conference began on Friday, June 16, 2023 and concluded on Sunday, June 25. Conference participants came from all over the world, mostly from Europe, representing a total of 48 countries.
Two young adults, Dan Winkler of Germany and Tabita Aversa of Brazil, were part of the Church team that organized the conference. “Every element of this conference was about helping others,” says Tabita. “Our main commitment was to provide support during the Special Olympics during the day, while in the evening there were some additional activities planned by us,” she continues. “I hope everyone has felt the love God has for all of his children. This love inspired me to help out for this conference and I hope everyone felt the same way during the time we spent together doing something good for each other,” concludes Tabita.
Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
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“This conference was a little different from the ones we usually do, because it wasn’t just about having fun, being together or growing spiritually, but also about what we could give in terms of time, strength and talent in the service of others,” Dan says. “At the Special Olympics, it’s a service for people in our society who need extra support. They have disadvantages in some areas, which requires more effort than we would normally invest in an event of this type,” he continues. “My hope is that all in attendance felt that special spirit of service and shared it with others around the world. This can then become something much bigger than a nice memory of a conference, but actually a movement that unites us, crossing all borders, with everyone around us,” concludes Dan.
The Church in Europe provided food, lodging, and social activities for all conference attendees, including members and friends of the Church between the ages of 18 and 35. The Special Olympics organization provided public transportation, shuttle services, volunteer equipment, training, and assignments for more than 21 types of volunteer efforts. Volunteers could participate for a period of five days or for all time.
“Collaborating with large groups like the Church of Jesus Christ is a good experience, for the groups and for us,” says Oliver Büttel, Head of Volunteers for the Special Olympics. “Groups always stick together and are useful because they are reliable and trustworthy. They play an important role in the volunteering experience,” continues Büttel. “We hope that, thanks to the help of the Church, awareness of inclusion in society will increase, not only due to the importance of the theme itself, but also due to the size and necessity of this important multi-sport event”.
To register for the Church Service conference, all attendees had to first register as volunteers for the Special Olympics. Volunteer shifts spanned throughout the day, between the eight official Olympic venues in Berlin. In the evenings, the Church organized social events, including dances, a beach party, open-air cinema, karaoke, workshops, and a large Sunday gathering.
“It’s all so healthy, which puts me in a good mood,” says Samuel Tessa, a young French volunteer. “In general, there is a lot of positivity around us. We take care of each other and that’s the point of everything,” continues Tessa.
The collaboration with the leaders of the organization of the Special Olympics was born from the idea of an adult missionary couple who serve in Berlin. In The Church of Jesus Christ, members of various age groups can volunteer full-time in various fields locally or abroad.
“For work I have been a teacher of children with special needs,” says Robert Swift, a senior missionary in Las Vegas. “I wanted to do something similar during my mission in Berlin and found out online that the Special Olympics was looking for volunteers. We told them we have many young adults willing to serve the community and volunteer at the Games,” Swift continues.
Word quickly spread among young adults in Europe and around the world, for their desire to come together from different countries and cultures and to help others through this important project. The Europe Area Presidency decided to sponsor this first-of-its-kind Special Olympics-focused service conference to provide an opportunity for young adults to show their love for God by helping others and to foster a sense of unity and belonging.
“It is the first time I have seen such a large group of young adults doing something so good, so enjoyable and so powerful, which is not just a Church activity, but is open to the world, together with and for the community ,” says Elder De Feo, president of the Church’s Central Europe Area. “It’s something we should do more and more in the future,” he continues. “When we serve in the community, we help, just like Jesus Christ did, and therefore we feel that we can become more like Him, and our nature is changed.”
When asked what his hopes are for other regions of Europe when it comes to helping others, Elder De Feo says, “I think we should spread the word and what it feels like to help others, to ignite more of these positive feelings in others. It will lead to spiritual momentum, with many more having a desire to help yet others. When we come together and continue to do good, we can do great things,” Elder De Feo concludes.
The Special Olympics World Games are the largest inclusive sporting event in the world, with approximately 7,000 athletes with disabilities competing in 26 disciplines. This year, over 12,000 volunteers from around the world participated in the games.