{"id":4008,"date":"2015-06-24T04:13:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-24T04:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?page_id=4008"},"modified":"2024-06-14T14:34:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T18:34:57","slug":"friendship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/friendship\/","title":{"rendered":"Friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

Best Buddies Friendship Programs<\/h1>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Best Buddies Friendship programs represent one of our organization’s five key mission pillars. \u00a0These programs build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded. Through their participation, people with IDD form meaningful connections with their peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, and share interests, experiences and activities that many other individuals enjoy.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/4x3n95uu9qA”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”BESTBUDDIES\u00ae<\/sup> Elementary Schools <\/strong>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1718390025702{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884146474{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text css=””]Builds connections and community between young students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through inclusive activities and social-emotional learning tools that promote one-to-one friendship, acceptance, and interaction at an early age.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Join a Chapter<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”182014″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=””][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”BESTBUDDIES\u00ae<\/sup> Middle Schools <\/strong>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1447916424661{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884146474{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Fosters one-to-one friendships between middle school students with and without IDD, in which they share interests, experiences, and activities. Students with IDD are often isolated and left out of social activities. Best Buddies Middle Schools helps to\u00a0create an inclusive middle school culture for all students early on in their educational development.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Join a Chapter<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”5707″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”BESTBUDDIES\u00ae<\/sup> High Schools <\/strong>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1447916461287{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884160296{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Fosters one-to-one friendships between high school students with and without IDD. In this time of heightened social and emotional development that can be difficult even for teenagers without IDD, the Best Buddies High Schools program helps break through social barriers at an important time in a young person\u2019s life.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Join a Chapter<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”7269″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”BESTBUDDIES\u00ae<\/sup> Colleges <\/strong>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1447916476733{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884173328{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Fosters one-to-one friendships between college students without IDD and their peers on campus or in the community with IDD. Young adults with IDD historically have been isolated at home or in work environments. The Best Buddies Colleges program is changing this by providing the opportunity for people with IDD to be involved in their local campus and community life.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Join a Chapter<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”5711″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”BESTBUDDIES\u00ae<\/sup> Citizens <\/strong>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1447916487262{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884181396{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Supports the development of friendships between adults with and without IDD in corporate and civic communities. Many people with IDD have limited opportunities for social interactions after they leave the school environment. This program helps people with IDD become part of mainstream society and creates an inclusive and diverse community for all.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Join a Chapter<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”5713″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column width=”7\/12″][vc_custom_heading text=”e-Buddies <\/strong>\u00ae<\/sup>” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left|color:%23593f9a” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”.vc_custom_1447916498923{margin-top: -10px !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” align=”align_left” border_width=”8″ css=”.vc_custom_1447884188576{margin-top: -8px !important;margin-bottom: 5px !important;}” accent_color=”#ffd51d”][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]Provides a safe place online to develop one-to-one friendships between people with and without IDD. By joining e-Buddies, participants become more comfortable using technology to communicate with friends, gain computer literacy skills, and are better equipped to socialize online in the future.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]More Info<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”5\/12″][vc_single_image image=”6061″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row fullwidth=”yes” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″ background_color=”#9396cb”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”42px”][vc_column_text]\n

How our Friendship programs Work<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”42px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row fullwidth=”yes” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/eCH-8XOnTp4″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/JPft0oW6MB0″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]

<\/i>Matching<\/h4>A participant with IDD is paired with a person without IDD based on location and shared interest for at least one year of friendship. For school programs, matches typically start at the beginning of the school year.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”22px”]

<\/i>Meet-ups<\/h4>Participating in activities and spending quality in-person time together at least twice a month is suggested for buddy pairs of all ages.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”22px”]

<\/i>Events<\/h4>Best Buddies Offices and Chapters plan events, host group activities, support friendship matches and are available for onsite support.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_empty_space height=”42px”]

<\/i>Communication<\/h4>Buddy pairs connect at least once a week by email, phone call, texting, social media or written correspondence.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”46px”]

<\/i>Email<\/h4>For e-Buddies, participants communicate via email at least once a week for a year.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”22px”]

<\/i>Monitoring<\/h4>Best Buddies staff members maintain regular contact with Friendship\u00a0program participants\u00a0to ensure the quality of matched pairs.<\/div><\/div><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row fullwidth=”yes” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″ background_color=”#9396cb” css=”.vc_custom_1642119146243{background-color: #9396cb !important;}”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”42px”][vc_column_text]\n

Current U.S. Chapters<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”42px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\n

Reference the map below to see where Friendship programs are currently offered in your state.<\/span><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\"colleges-pin\"Colleges \"high-schools-pin\"High Schools \"middle-schools-pin\"Middle Schools\"radius-pin\"\u00a0Citizens program[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″ css=”.vc_custom_1592344727195{margin-top: -32px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_raw_html]JTVCd3BnbXphJTIwaWQlM0QlMjIxJTIyJTIwbWFya2VyJTNEJTI3NTE2MTElMjclMjB6b29tJTNEJTI3NCUyNyU1RA==[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row fullwidth=”yes” bg_type=”bg_image” top_margin=”0″ bottom_margin=”0″ css=”.vc_custom_1447790974090{margin-bottom: -156px !important;padding-top: 405px !important;padding-bottom: 405px !important;}” image_url=”6758″][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1628259210298{margin-top: -390px !important;}”]\n

Join a Friendship chapter!<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

The next friend you make\u00a0could be your Best Buddy.<\/span><\/h4>\n

Get Involved<\/a>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Best Buddies Friendship Programs [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]Best Buddies Friendship programs represent one of our organization’s five key mission pillars. \u00a0These programs build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":55,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4008","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nFriendship - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/friendship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Friendship - 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