In 2019, Hassan Dixon traveled to Abu Dhabi to volunteer for the Special Olympics World Summer Games. Fast forward to 2023, Dixon jumped at the chance to be involved in the volunteering again, this time traveling to Berlin.
Hassan’s trip to Berlin was nothing short of memorable. He was captivated by the history and vibrance of the city, and the clean and orderly transportation system. The Olympic Games ceremony took place in the same stadium that held the 1938 Olympic Games. Beyond Berlin’s history, Hassan was taken away by the hip, vibrant atmosphere of Berlin. The city boasted an array of cool architecture and food spots.
While exploring the city was an experience Hassan won’t forget, his true excitement lay in his time volunteering for the Special Olympic Games. As an athlete himself, he felt a nostalgic feeling seeing the unwavering enthusiasm of the athletes playing the sport they love. He remembers being in high school playing basketball and that pure elation he would get when hitting the first shot. Many of the athletes showed this exact elation when playing basketball in the Olympic Games.
“The feeling you get from seeing their excitement and energy is simply unmatched. Being around the athletes reminded me how important it is to simply ‘have fun,’” said Dixon.
The pure joy of the Olympic Games reminded him how we tend to forget to enjoy the moment and appreciate the excitement. Our failure to enjoy and live in the moment is typically due to stress, the fear of failure, anxiety, outside noise, etc. The athletes participating were able to block that all out and simply live in the moment. The energy these athletes had is something you don’t see every day and something he learned he needs to be even more intentional about after seeing it through these athletes.
The athletes from all over the world were able to power through the fetters and adversity they have faced their entire lives. The courage of the athletes reminded him to continually push to work through adversity no matter what. The reality is, we all have things we feel hold us back from doing certain things. However, it’s important to remind ourselves how real these fetters are and how we can deplete them.
“When going through adversity, some tend to forget the small joyful moments that take place throughout the process,” said Dixon. “No matter what the situation, the Olympic athletes in Berlin embraced the little moments of joy achieved throughout their sporting events. No matter what the outcome ended up being, they found joy in the present moment.”
Through his volunteering, Hassan had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds, religions, and ideas. Each year, meeting more people at the Olympic Games, he realizes that no matter how far or different a person or culture might seem, they are all extremely similar. He notes that the Special Olympics has a unique way of emphasizing that reality every time he volunteers.
The amount of support from families and school kids in Germany that came to the Special Olympics Game was amazing. In addition, individuals came from around Germany just to be a part of the special experience. “You could feel the unity throughout the stadium. Ultimately, no matter where people came from or what team they cheered for, everyone was there as a unified group supporting the athletes.”
Unlike the last Special Olympics Games Hassan attended, some of the disabled individuals were allowed to volunteer with the volunteers from around the world. Hassan got to work closely with a young man from Germany while working the basketball stations.
“Working with him is one of the premiere highlights of my time volunteering. We worked together as a cohesive unit and I knew that no matter the circumstances, he would always do what’s best for our volunteering team. The irony in us making a great team was the simple fact that there was a language barrier. He spoke German and I spoke English. Even with this, the universal language of enthusiasm and body language allowed us to perform at a high capacity as a team,” said Dixon.
After arriving back home from Berlin, Hassan took the same mindset he saw from the athletes in Berlin and applied it in his work. This mindset was to enjoy the process, because most of the time you will win some and lose some, but it is the small moments within the process that you should appreciate and enjoy. He hopes that his experience will encourage his coworkers to volunteer as much as possible.
“Volunteering helps to give people more perspective on life and ultimately a more knowledgeable outlook on realities outside of their own,” said Dixon. “They become more socially aware and are typically able to take a step back at times and relate more with people that are not similar to themselves.”
Hassan’s volunteering experience in Berlin left an indelible mark on his heart. The biggest takeaways from his experience were to always appreciate the small moments of happiness through turbulent times, don’t hold back, do what makes you happy, and stay true to yourself; you’d be surprised how much further that will take you in life than conforming in order to fit in. The Special Olympic Games served as a powerful reminder of the potential with each individual and the power of coming together as a unified group.