MOVEMENT
Rock Climbing • Trust Activities • Adventure
🏅 FIRST-EVER AKKA TEAM OLYMPICS
AKKA TEAM OLYMPICS 2026
Building Leaders Through Teamwork, Adventure, Innovation & Techno-Culture
Get ready for an exciting new experience created exclusively for AKKA youth!
AKKA Team Olympics 2026 is a first-of-its-kind youth leadership, adventure, and innovation experience designed to help students discover their strengths, build confidence, create meaningful friendships, and develop lifelong leadership skills.
Over two action-packed days, participants will work in diverse teams, take on exciting challenges, explore Philadelphia, solve problems, experience adventure-based learning, and discover the power of teamwork, communication, technology, innovation, and Kannada culture.
REGISTER NOW
Spaces Are Limited!
TEAM BUILDING
Communication • Collaboration • Team Challenges
SCAVENGER HUNT
Philadelphia • STEM Missions • City Exploration
INNOVATION ARENA
Kannada Culture • STEM • AI • Creative Challenges
What Students Will Experience
Adventure, leadership, teamwork and innovation — all in one unforgettable experience.
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Develop leadership and teamwork skills
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Build confidence and independence
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Strengthen communication and collaboration
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Practice critical thinking and creative problem solving
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Experience rock climbing and adventure education
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Explore Philadelphia through an exciting team scavenger hunt
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Take on innovation, STEM and AI challenges
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Build friendships with students from across North America
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Celebrate Kannada culture and community
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Gain meaningful experiences for future college, scholarship and internship applications
Why Parents Will Love It
More than entertainment — an investment in your child's growth and future.
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Build confidence in a supportive environment
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Develop leadership and communication skills
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Learn teamwork through experiential activities
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Strengthen decision-making and problem-solving abilities
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Participate in structured, professionally facilitated programs
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Connect with peers from across North America
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Become more independent and comfortable working with new people
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Create lasting friendships and unforgettable memories
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Build experiences that can enhance future student portfolios and applications
Parents can feel confident knowing their children are participating in an educational, engaging, structured and purpose-driven youth program centered on leadership, teamwork, adventure, innovation and personal development.
Certificate of Leadership & Skills Achievement
Every participant will receive an official AKKA Team Olympics Certificate of Participation & Skills Achievement recognizing successful completion of the program.
The certificate will highlight participation and learning in:
Leadership Development
Team Development
Rock Climbing Skills
Communication & Collaboration
Creative Problem Solving
Adventure-Based Learning
Philadelphia Scavenger Hunt & Team Exploration
Innovation, STEM & Technology Challenges
A Valuable Addition To:
College Applications • Student Portfolios • Leadership Resumes • Internship Applications • Scholarship Applications • Youth Achievement Records
Be Part of AKKA History
This is the inaugural AKKA Team Olympics!
The first 100 participants won't simply attend an event — they will help launch a new AKKA youth tradition.
AKKA Team Olympics is envisioned to become a signature leadership experience at future AKKA World Kannada Conferences, bringing young Kannadigas together through teamwork, adventure, innovation, technology, leadership and culture.
Be among the first to experience it.
THE VISION BEHIND AKKA TEAM OLYMPICS
Chandru Aradhya
Community Leader
•
AKKA Treasurer
•
Outdoor Enthusiast
Chandru has long believed that some of life's most important lessons in leadership are learned not in a classroom, but through experience, challenge, teamwork, and shared responsibility.
His vision for the youth of the Kannada community has helped inspire the concept behind:
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From Experience to Leadership: Launching the First-Ever AKKA TEAM OLYMPICS 2026
Meet the Program Leaders
Experienced leaders bringing together team development, innovation, technology and culture.
Badari Ambatti
Leadership & Team DevelopmentBadari Ambatti is a Columbia Business School Alumni, inspiring thousands of students and professionals through experiential team building, project-based leadership, and innovation programs that empower individuals to lead with confidence, collaboration, and purpose.
Dr. Anupama Gowda
Techno-CultureDr. Anupama Gowda is a technocultural strategist shaping innovation ecosystems for genuine access and belonging. She brings 20+ years of experience building in India and the US, is co-founder of Bangalore's first public FabLab, and is an architect of research-led workforce programs.
Her PhD focuses on wearable technologies, data translation, and trust. She specialises in designing frameworks where innovation centers cultural agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything parents and participants need to know before registering.
👦👧 Who can participate?
AKKA Team Olympics is open to youth ages 12–17 only. Participants must meet the age requirement to participate.
🏆 Is this the first AKKA Team Olympics?
Yes. The 2026 AKKA Team Olympics is the inaugural event and is designed to establish a new leadership and experiential-learning tradition for future AKKA World Kannada Conferences.
The first 100 participants will have the unique opportunity to be part of launching this experience.
👥 Can I register individually?
Yes. Participants may register as an existing team or as an individual participant. Individual registrants will be placed on a team.
- Minimum team size: 6 participants
- Maximum team size: 8 participants
Once teams are formed, participants are expected to remain with their assigned team throughout the competition.
🔢 How many participants can register?
Only 100 participant spots are available. Registration is first-come, first-served. Once the first 100 spots are filled, additional participants will be placed on a waitlist.
💰 How much does it cost?
AKKA Registrants
$25 per participant
Non-AKKA Registrants
$75 per participant
The program fee supports delivery of the two-day experiential program and associated activities.
📅 When is the AKKA Team Olympics?
Saturday, September 5, 2026
8:30 AM Reporting Time • 4:30 PM End Time
Sunday, September 6, 2026
8:30 AM Reporting Time • 4:30 PM End Time
Participants must participate in both full days.
📍 Where do participants meet?
Movement Callowhill
1010 Callowhill St.
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Phone: (215) 444-7625
Participants will also travel to designated Philadelphia locations as part of the Scavenger Hunt and city exploration challenges.
🧗 What will participants do?
The program combines four major experience areas:
- Movement & Adventure: rock climbing, trust challenges, partner activities, adventure-based learning, reflection and debrief.
- Team Building: Pipeline, Toxic Waste, Spider Web, Human Knot, Blindfold Maze and Kaizen Challenge.
- Philadelphia Scavenger Hunt: Reading Terminal Market, LOVE Park, City Hall, Chinatown, STEM missions and photo missions.
- Innovation & Techno-Culture Arena: AKKA trivia, Kannada quiz, Karnataka history, robotics, AI/STEM challenges, trending music and sports.
🍎 Will food be provided?
Yes. Morning breakfast and/or bag lunch will be provided at Movement Callowhill, depending on the day's schedule.
Participants should still bring their own water bottles and any snacks they may need.
📱 What should participants bring?
- Cell phone
- Water bottle
- Day pack
- Notebook
- Pens/pencils
- Any required personal medication
- Emergency medication such as an EpiPen, if prescribed
Phones should be sufficiently charged each morning.
📝 What forms are required?
Parents/guardians must complete all required participation and liability documentation, including the Movement climbing liability release.
Required forms deadline: August 30, 2026
👨👩👧 Why should parents consider the AKKA Team Olympics?
This is designed as an investment in youth development, not simply a weekend of entertainment. Participants will have opportunities to build confidence, leadership, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creative problem solving and independence.
Students will work with peers from across North America while experiencing adventure education, Philadelphia exploration, STEM, AI, innovation and Kannada culture.
🎓 How can the experience benefit students?
Students can discuss their Team Olympics experiences in future college applications, scholarship applications, student portfolios, leadership resumes, internship applications, community service records and youth achievement portfolios.
🏅 Will participants receive a certificate?
Yes. Participants who successfully complete the program will receive an official AKKA Team Olympics Certificate of Participation & Skills Achievement.
The certificate recognizes participation and program learning; it does not represent a professional certification.
⚠️ Do participants need to participate both days?
Yes. The Team Olympics is designed as a two-day integrated team experience. All competing teams are expected to participate on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6.
👥 Can participants switch teams during the event?
No. Once teams are established, participants are expected to stay with their assigned team throughout the program so they can develop communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills together.
🎭 Can participants attend other AKKA cultural events during the Olympics?
Participants should plan to dedicate both days to the Team Olympics. Because the program includes team activities, scheduled travel, challenges and competitions, participants will not be able to leave their assigned team to attend other programming during the Team Olympics schedule.
🛡️ Is this a supervised program?
Yes. The program is designed and facilitated as a structured youth experiential-learning experience with designated facilitators and activity leaders.
Parents/guardians must complete the necessary participation and liability forms before the event.
🌟 Who is organizing the AKKA Team Olympics?
AKKA Team Olympics is organized and facilitated by Divergent Team Builders, in collaboration with AKKA leadership and program facilitators.
👨🏫 Who are the program leaders?
- Badari Ambatti — Leadership & Team Development
- Roopa Thathaprakash — Kannada Pride & Community Leadership
- Dr. Anupama Gowda — Techno-Culture
- Ramya Gopal — Philadelphia Exploration & Scavenger Hunt
- Shannon Gilmore — Team Development
🌎 Why is this program different?
Team Olympics brings together five dimensions of youth development: Adventure, Teamwork, Innovation, Technology and Kannada Culture.
It is designed as an experience where culture meets technology, adventure meets leadership and teamwork meets innovation.
🤝 How can companies, sponsors and community partners support?
Partnership opportunities can support student scholarships, STEM/AI activities, team-building materials, food and refreshments, awards and recognition, technology resources, educational experiences and student leadership initiatives.
📧 Who should I contact?
General AKKA Team Olympics Questions
Roopa Thathaprakash — Roopa@divergentteambulders.com
Badari Ambatti — Badari07@gmail.com
Techno-Culture Questions
Dr. Anupama Gowda — anugowda.c@gmail.com
Ready to join the first-ever AKKA Team Olympics?
Ages 12–17 • Only 100 spots available
REGISTER NOW
LIMITED TO THE FIRST 100 PARTICIPANTS
Ready to Take the Challenge?
Adventure. Teamwork. Leadership. Innovation.
Technology. Kannada Culture.
Spaces Are Limited!
UNITE.
ENGAGE.
SUCCEED.
One unforgettable AKKA experience. 🚀 🏆 🌎