Miami, FL, Oct. 17, 2023 — Best Buddies International, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for friendship, employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), held the 2023 Global Staff Forum in Madrid, Spain, from Oct. 4-7.

Best Buddies staff members from China, Croatia, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, the Philippines, Turkey and the United States participated in cross-industrial training programs and seminars to equip them with the skills to continue to amplify the Best Buddies mission around the globe.

Anthony K. Shriver, the chairman, founder and CEO of Best Buddies International, Jennifer Allen, the senior director of international programs at Best Buddies International, and the Best Buddies in Spain Board of Directors also met with Julissa Reynoso, the U.S. ambassador to Spain, to discuss areas of collaboration.

“The 2023 Global Staff Forum was a fruitful two-day event where Best Buddies representatives shared their successes and challenges when implementing our programs worldwide,” Allen said. “I hope our global staff can use this newly gained energy and knowledge to spread further and strengthen our programs.”

Sandwiched between the training days was the Best Buddies in Spain Gala, which was hosted Oct. 5 and had over 200 attendees. Staff and Best Buddies in Spain participants enjoyed an exciting evening that celebrated the Best Buddies mission of inclusion and the relaunching of Best Buddies in Spain.

“I left the event seeing firsthand how universal the Best Buddies mission truly is,” Allen recalled. “It does not matter what continent you are on; as humans, we all need inclusion, friendship and meaningful work.”

ABOUT BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL:
Best Buddies^® is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Founded in 1989 by Anthony K. Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant organization that has grown from one original chapter to nearly 3,000 middle school, high school, and college chapters worldwide. Today, Best Buddies’ 11 formal programs — Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, High Schools, Colleges, Citizens, e-Buddies®, Jobs, Ambassadors, Promoters, Transitions and Inclusive Living— engage participants in each of the 50 states and in 49 countries, positively impacting the lives of nearly one million people with and without disabilities around the world. In many cases, as a result of their involvement with Best Buddies, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities secure rewarding jobs, live on their own, become inspirational leaders, and make lifelong friendships. For more information, please visit www.bestbuddies.org or connect with us via Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Media Inquiries:
Jacob Pasternack
Manager of Marketing and Communications
JacobPasternack@BestBuddies.org