Best Buddies club on building friendship
The USUSA Best Buddies club works with the Logan community and students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, or IDD. The club was established about five years ago, and according to the club’s president Savannah Brown, it has started picking up speed in the past three years.
“A place for people of all abilities to be able to get together and bond and create friendships,” Brown said. “A place to come and feel like they belong.”
The club pairs members with IDD and members without it. The club’s communications director Sydney Foster said this is intended to create “friendships and create connections between the IDD community and Utah State.”
Foster explained the club’s activities usually consist of crafts, game nights, cookie decorating and more.
“We’ll play games, usually, we’ll have treats, we’ll listen to music, watch videos, anything like that,” Brown said.
According to Foster, the events are relaxed and invite a calming experience for participants.
Foster said by holding these activities, they hope to “destigmatize stereotypes surrounding the IDD community.”
In order to become a “Buddy” to a club member with IDD, Foster instructs to sign up with the club. According to Foster, even if someone is not a member, they are still welcome to attend any activities.
“It’s always more fun when we have more people just kind of mixed in,” Foster said.
Both Brown and Foster explained different ways they have seen impacts from the club.
“I personally have made friendships myself,” Brown said. “I’ve been able to, like, invite him to some of the basketball and football games.”
Foster had a similar experience.
“I still keep in contact with my buddies from past years,” Foster said. “It’s been really cool [to] see the impact actually happen in my life.” Foster said this experience is common with other members of the club.
Best Buddies will have its first event of the year on Sept. 17. The club holds an event like this each month, usually on the first Wednesday. These events are open to everyone, even those not in the club.
Best Buddies is not just a club at Utah State. According to the organization’s official website, Best Buddies is an international nonprofit organization. They have chapters in all 50 states, working toward their mission of “establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, inclusive living, and family support.”
Foster said many of the other universities in Utah also participate in the Best Buddies program. Throughout the year, the different university chapters get together for group events.
According to Foster, most of the time, involvement with the national chapter is done by the USU chapter’s leadership through trainings and events.
Every April, Foster says they usually host a talent show and welcome friends and family to attend to wrap up the year.
Those interested in signing up with Best Buddies or learning about the activities can visit the club’s Instagram at @bestbuddiesususa.