Did You Know about e-Buddies?

Have you heard about e-Buddies? e-Buddies is an e-mail pen pal program open to anyone with an e-mail address who is 10 years old or older. It provides opportunities for e-mail friendships to develop between persons with a developmental disability and their peers without a developmental disability.

e-Buddies is a way to make a new friend safely, while gaining computer skills. Participants are matched in a one-to-one e-mail friendship. Matched pairs are asked to exchange e-mails once a week for at least one year. Matches are made based on similar age, gender, geography (i.e. participants will NOT be matched with someone from the same state), and shared interests.

e-Buddies recognizes the risks involved with online communication and utilizes a multi-layered approach to minimize risk and ensure the safety of participants.

All participants must join through e-buddies online application. Participants with a developmental disability can sign up individually, or in groups through a special education class or a support service agency. e-Buddies is free of charge for participants with a developmental disability.

For more information about e-Buddies and how it works, please visit Resources section.

e-buddies is a Best Buddies International program. Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Visit www.bestbuddies.org/ for more information.

Helpful Articles

• Making Friends: A Skill That Needs to Be Practiced!
• Five Ways to Cultivate Friendships
• Mate Crime Spotting the Signs of Fake Friendship
• Six Ways to Foster Friendships at School {Tip 7 of 31}
• Ask Angie ASL – Tips for Meeting New Friends Who Use Sign Language
• My Friendship Bracelet Maker
• Friends of Brian: Achieving Quality of Life Through GAP
• More Than Friends: Sammy Callari and Parker Seward
• Digital Safety: An Ongoing Conversation
• Summer Internet Surfing Keeping Kids Safe Online