{"id":116698,"date":"2019-10-16T17:16:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T21:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=116698"},"modified":"2021-07-02T13:45:43","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T17:45:43","slug":"why-do-we-care-to-belong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2019\/10\/16\/why-do-we-care-to-belong\/","title":{"rendered":"Does it really matter who belongs?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why do we do what we do? There are lots of organizations geared toward helping people with disabilities. So, what sets Best Buddies apart?<\/p>\n

\"\"Well, first of all, we do not help people with disabilities. At Best Buddies we envision a world where people with and without disabilities are viewed with equal respect value, and \u2013 very importantly- with equal accountability and responsibility. We are a volunteer organization striving to foster space for inclusive friendships, jobs, leadership, and living. Everyone <\/em>is a volunteer. It\u2019s not people without disabilities volunteering to be friends with those with disabilities. It\u2019s not \u2018haves\u2019 and \u2018have nots.\u2019 Its people from different backgrounds, different experiences, but similar interests coming together to make a new friend. But why should we care about people just volunteering to make friends?<\/p>\n

Because \u2013 as much as we work towards a world where everyone is seen with equal value \u2013 we\u2019re not quite there. There are still so many biases and discrimination against people with disabilities.<\/p>\n

For that reason, we have to be more than just a fun club for friendship. We have to educate and spread awareness; not just on the reasons people with disabilities should be treated with respect and equitability. But also on the research that proves why. <\/em><\/p>\n

Our favorite finding on this topic comes from John O\u2019Brien\u2019s research conducted in the 1980\u2019s. O\u2019Brien found<\/a> there to be five valued experiences that help people live better lives<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"When we reflect on these five values, it creates a framework for the way we not only view opportunities for our participants, but also shapes a path for our leaders, for new experiences, and for mission-driven decisions.<\/p>\n

For the next couple of weeks, The Daily Best<\/em> will explore these five valued experiences and examine how Best Buddies provides these opportunities for all volunteers \u2013 with and without disabilities \u2013 in an effort to offer a better life for everyone who participates.<\/p>\n

We will start by exploring the first value, belonging<\/em>.<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Value #1: Belonging<\/h5>\n

O\u2019Brien\u2019s first valued experience, belonging, seems like a no-brainer. It seems obvious that belonging <\/em>would contribute to a better life. But besides just feeling this is true, research shows us that it actually is vitally important to well-being. \u00a0According to research<\/a>, belonging is linked to better academic, psychological, and health outcomes (Jose, Ryan, & Pryor, 2012); but about 25% of students are classified as having a low sense of belonging (Willms, 2013). By providing opportunities for people to actually feel like they belong, we contribute to their physical, mental, and emotional health.<\/p>\n

Best Buddies strives to create a sense of belonging through inclusive activities and leadership opportunities, normalizing equitable space for people of all abilities in school clubs, sports, and social outings.<\/p>\n

Parent advocate and Best Buddies champion, Liz Wall, whose daughter, Lottie, has Down syndrome, shares \u201ceverybody understands the feeling of exclusion and isolation, and Best Buddies fills a need on both sides of the aisle. Best Buddies seeks to fill that need of the sense of belonging<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis benefits children like my Lottie because she gets a buddy away from school. It\u2019s during the weekends when the friendship components she enjoys when she\u2019s in school stop. No texts, no invitations to birthdays.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit for the Buddy is that they get a great lifelong friendship, not just within the school, but outside the \"\"school, through the adult years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Best Buddies also seeks to develop opportunities for belonging by exploring what <\/em>makes people feel like they belong. According to research shared by Psychology Today<\/a>, \u201canother way to build your own sense of belonging is to work on acceptance of others. To accept others…that are not the same as you may require that you open your thoughts to the idea that there is value in everyone’s thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

By offering a safe space for people to practice acceptance and build their own sense of belonging is to create new opportunities for valued experiences, all of which contribute to a better life for our volunteers.<\/p>\n

How do you offer a sense of belonging in your life? And what does it mean to you to belong? Share your thoughts with us below or on our social pages @bbuniversity on Instagram and Facebook!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belonging seems like a pretty straight-forward, innately human need. So why should we talk about it? Because belonging is just one of five valued experiences that research has found lead to a better life. Over the next few weeks, we will be exploring these experiences and how Best Buddies develops opportunities for everyone to feel valued. We start today with belonging…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":117245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"bbu-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1706,1708,1710,1709,1711],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nDoes it really matter who belongs? - 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\/2019\/10\/16\/why-do-we-care-to-belong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does it really matter who belongs? - Best Buddies International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Belonging seems like a pretty straight-forward, innately human need. So why should we talk about it? 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