Vision

To put Best Buddies out of business. Best Buddies envisions a world where people with IDD are so successfully integrated into schools, workplaces and communities that its current efforts and services will be unnecessary. Until that vision becomes a reality, the organization will continue to educate middle school, high school and college students, community members, corporations and employers about the emotional, functional, and natural needs and abilities of people with IDD.

Goals on 10 Year Initiatives

Best Buddies International seeks to establish clear, far-reaching objectives as part of our 10-year initiatives with the goal of further expanding the global impact of the organization’s four mission pillars — One-to-one Friendships, Integrated Employment, Leadership Development, and Inclusive Living for individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In 2010, Best Buddies launched the 2020 Initiative and at its conclusion, developed the following set of programmatic goals to chart our strategic vision forward into the next decade:

• Increase the number of Best Buddies school and community chapters to 7,000.
• Develop 3,800 Jobs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities around the world.
• Train 15,000 Buddy Ambassadors.
• Engage over 1 Million individuals to walk or ride for inclusion to support the Best Buddies mission.
• Recruit 5,000 Best Buddies Champions — all working to promote our mission in communities around the world.
• Create 10 Best Buddies Living residences that will provide a vibrant, integrated living space for people with and without disabilities.

As a result of these ambitious goals, Best Buddies expects to impact over 4 million people — all working collaboratively to help individuals with special abilities form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills and feel valued by society.