Jennifer Burns, Special Education Teacher at the Watertown High School is helping our students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) make friends and thrive at school through a international program called Best Buddies. Best Buddies is a non-profit organization established in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. The mission of Best Buddies is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support for people with IDD.
The program started at Watertown High School in spring of 2023. Burns said, “Last year was our first full year of Best Buddies, but we did not implement the one-to-one friendships that first year. I went to Leadership conference in summer of 2024 at Indiana University. We were highly encouraged to implement the one-to-one friendships, so this year we did just that.”
The one-to-one friendships component of our Best Buddies build friendships between students with and without IDD. Students gain social interactions while improving the quality of life and level of inclusion for a population that is often isolated and excluded.
“We had our Match Party on October 28, 2024,” said Burns. “We have 30 students signed up and we have 15 one-to-one matches. Students are to visit with buddy one time a week, and we do activities once a month.”
Photos are from December’s monthly activity of gingerbread house building and a visit to Edgewood Assisted Living to play games with the residents.
