Best Buddies In The Eastern Suburbs

By Emma Kelly on November 18, 2010 in News

Best Buddies Australia is launching its first Citizens Program right here in the Eastern Suburbs this month and they need your help. Mark Trevaskis, Executive Director of Best Buddies Australia is calling on all local residents to get involved in the ‘Eastern Suburbs Citizen Program’.

This not-for-profit organisation seeks to enrich the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through the power of one-to-one friendships.

“The vast majority of people with intellectual disabilities don’t have friends.

“A lot of the people that have a disability have never had a friend that doesn’t have a disability themselves.
“We want to change that in the Eastern Suburbs,” Mark explains.

It is thanks to the City of Sydney that Best Buddies is getting a chance to launch the program; they kindly provided the funding for a part-time worker who will be dedicated to this role in our community.

However, Mark is hopeful that the local councils – Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra – might find it in their hearts, or somewhere within their pockets, to help make this a full-time role.

The worker’s role is dedicated to the sourcing and training of the ‘buddies’; there is an assessment process and background and police checks are made on both the volunteers and the person with the disability.

The worker then pairs people up with similar interests.

“We put a lot of effort into ensuring the match is right,” Mark says.

The worker encourages the partnership and provides tips on what friendship is about and on getting started in the program.

In 1989, Anthony Kennedy Shriver founded Best Buddies in the USA and it is currently in over 40 countries. There are six programs offered internationally including Best Buddies High Schools, Best Buddies Colleges, e-Buddies and Best Buddies Citizens.

The program came to Australia in 2004 with the launch of the Citizens Program in Melbourne. This was followed by the launch of The Best Buddies High School Program, which is operating in high schools in NSW and Victoria.

One of the ambassadors for the Best Buddies High Schools Program in the Eastern Suburbs is our very own Deborah Hutton.

Best Buddies needs Eastern Suburbs residents to volunteer their time to make a friend in the area. You would need to be able to commit to the program for 12 months and see your buddy on a regular basis, at least twice a month.

There are so many people out there who could really do with a buddy to go to the movies, grab a coffee or a beer, or simply have a chat. You can be any age to participate and you certainly don’t have to be an expert, just be willing to be a friend.

“If you’re open to ideas and open to people, in terms of what they can bring to your life, you never know what will happen.
“Go out and do stuff together, just the two of you, and have a great time doing it,” Mark says.

For more information on Best Buddies and to register your interest as a volunteer, please log on to www.bestbuddies.org.au.