Advisors Track

Advisors are critical to the success of any high performing Best Buddies chapter.  This year, we are excited to offer two tracks for chapter advisors.

The Advisors track offers training opportunities specific to the role advisors play in the Best Buddies chapter. Speakers, collaborative educational experiences, and panel discussions are specifically cultivated to provide teachers with the strategies and resources needed to effectively manage and empower the student leaders of the Best Buddies movement.  The registration fee for this training is $400.

The Advisors Continuing Education track offers all the above, as well as exclusive conference sessions and the additional benefit of continuing education certificates for attending advisors. Certificates will be provided for 10 hours of professional development in the areas of leadership, postsecondary transition programming, social and emotional learning, activity planning, mission advancement and program management. The registration fee for this training is $650.

Advisor Training Learning Outcomes

Trainings are appropriate for advisors of elementary school, middle school, high school, and college chapters, as well as host site coordinators. Training sessions are offered in small group breakouts, presenter forums, speaker panels, and workshops. The weekend’s opportunities strive to offer advisors the information they need to be successful in guiding mission success on their campus while offering networking opportunities and peer to peer best practice sharing. For more information, please contact leadershipconference@bestbuddies.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Advisor track is comprised of leadership development sessions ranging from lecture style to panel discussions, large group presentations, and roundtable conversations. The diverse training styles offer advisors the opportunity to customize their conference experience and select sessions that will directly benefit their role in the Best Buddies movement and leadership position in their school chapter.

The Advisors Continuing Education track offers professional education programs, activities, and learning experiences toward continuing education for advisors who wish to receive contact hours toward their state’s professional education requirements. These training courses will meet the requirements of interpersonal skills in a school environment, access to post-secondary education options for students with disabilities, and activities around inclusive classrooms.

The Advisors Continuing Education track offers professional education programs, activities, and learning experiences toward continuing education for advisors who wish to receive contact hours toward their state’s professional education requirements. These training courses will meet the requirements of interpersonal skills in a school environment, access to post-secondary education options for students with disabilities, and activities around inclusive classrooms.

Best Buddies anticipates ten hours available to claim in continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences throughout the conference. The following breakdown outlines the hours assigned to each topic:

  • Social and Emotional Learning: 2 hours
  • Person-Centered Planning & Leadership Development: 2 hours
  • Pre-Employment Training Concepts: 2 hours
  • Leadership & Empowerment: 2 hours
  • Best Buddies Mission Advancement: 2 hours

Lesson objectives and learning outcomes will be available from each facilitator for advisors to present to their district’s credentialing office.

Professional development hours are offered to advisors who have registered for the Advisors Continuing Education track. To do this, when registering, you will be prompted to select your program training. You will select “Advisors” from the list of options and on page two of the form you will check the box to opt into the Advisors Continuing Education track.

Those who have registered for the Advisors Continuing Education track to receive professional development hours must submit the conference registration fee of $650; this price includes professional development hours, housing in the advisor living-learning community, and all meals. Payment details can be found on the BBLC website.

Advisors seeking to participate in BBLC without claiming professional development hours may still attend advisor sessions through the general Advisors track; however, they will not be presented with credential certification following each training. Advisors seeking to attend sessions without claiming the professional development hours should register for the Advisors track, and select no when asked if they are participating in the continuing education training.
For Advisors Continuing Education attendees who will claim ten hours toward continuing education, the weekend training will cost $650. In addition to the professional development hours received, advisors will be housed in a special living and learning community separate from student attendees on the Indiana University campus. For advisors not seeking professional development credits, the conference will cost $400 which includes housing, meals, and access to advisor sessions. Payment information is available by visiting bestbuddies.org/bblc/pay.
Advisors attending the conference as a direct support to students may register as a chaperone for their chapter. In the chaperone role, advisors will stay in a private dorm room on the same floor as their students and provide support in transitioning to morning activities, to all sessions, at mealtimes, and during evening events. Chaperones will not attend sessions with students. To register as a chaperone for your chapter, you will select the program type of your chapter (example: High Schools) and when prompted on page two, you will identify your role as a “chaperone/conference aide.”

All conference attendees will register for the Leadership Conference by visiting bestbuddies.org/bblc/register. The deadline for registration is June 15.