By Brooke Switzer, International Programs Director

In all corners of the globe, Best Buddies continues to be a tremendous vehicle for change by actively enhancing the opportunities available to persons with intellectual disabilities.  The Best Buddies model of pairing youth in mutually enriching one-to-one friendships sets it apart from other programs.  The Best Buddies pairs are equals.  Equality is the key to integration.  Student volunteers without an intellectual disability gain insight on the challenges their buddies face and come to know, appreciate and respect their buddy for their abilities.  Students/youth with intellectual disability, often for the first time, experience the mutual understanding that only comes from a one-to-one friendship with a peer.  The universal lessons also go beyond the pair.  A Best Buddies match, in many instances, is the very first time true integration is witnessed in a community.  A Buddy pair at a restaurant, in the park, or walking around the city are all new visions for the community-at-large.  These visions challenge concepts held about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and open peoples’ minds to the concept of an inclusive society.

When the Best Buddies global movement first began, most communities we entered did not have integrated schools and special education schools were substandard and sometimes even non-existent.  In spite of this, Best Buddies thrived.  Over the past couple of years, we have witnessed a shift towards educational inclusion.  More and more countries are revamping their educational system and moving towards integrated schools.  Best Buddies has itself become a catalyst in many countries by being an example of social inclusion and showing the rewards of participation to the community-at-large.  Best Buddies proves to be the perfect complementary program to facilitate this educational transition.

We consistently witness how Best Buddies global movement enriches lives and communities in unexpected ways simply by bringing people together in friendship.  In the diverse communities of the world, where cultures seem vastly different, the heart of the Best Buddies program beats the same – friendship is universal.  Today, there are more than 9,500 volunteers participating in Best Buddies chapters at more than 400 universities and high schools outside of the United States.  Additionally, several country programs also offer their communities Best Buddies Citizens, e-Buddies and Jobs.  Over the past year, Best Buddies launched programs in Iceland, Peru, Poland and Russia.  Best Buddies now has active programs in 46 countries and over the next year we look forward to expanding into four additional countries in order to meet our 2010 initiative of 50.