RIYADH, 30 October 2003 — While many organizations in the world rely on television to create public awareness about a certain topic, others, such as Best Buddies, believe that establishing friendships or a person-to-person relationship can clear misconceptions and get the message across.
Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a non-profit organization that uses that policy to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by getting them into schools, workplaces and general communities to become a part of mainstream society. After its success in the US, the organization (www.bestbuddies.org) has gone global and continues to expand with 50,000 participants on 900 middle school, high school and college campuses all over the world. Arab News met with Shriver, its founder and chairman, during his recent visit to Riyadh.
Shriver says that the organization is based on the premise: “Friendship is a powerful notion and tool in changing people’s lives.”
The idea came to Shriver during his college years. Recognizing the tremendous volunteer potential of college students, he inspired his peers to participate in a novel endeavor to make available numerous social opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities. Friendships between people who normally would not associate with each other would enable each person to build his self-esteem, and, at the same time, allow both to learn from each other through community life.
“The mutual interaction program was so successful in college that we began to expand it into different academic environments. We went to high schools and we went to middle schools. We expanded programs for adults in the community. We also developed a program called ‘e-buddies’ in which people interacted and exchanged e-mails,” he explained.
“All friendship programs believe that the power of friendship can change people’s perceptions of one another. The volunteer who was working with the disabled person would, if asked the questions, ‘Do you believe this person can hold a job in an integrated environment?’ or ‘Do you believe he should go to a school with non-disabled people?’ have answered no. After they experience a relationship, you ask the same question and the answer is the exact opposite. ‘Yes this person should have a job in an integrated environment. Yes this person should go to the same school I do.’ Through friendship, people’s perceptions and understanding of a person with a disability changes dramatically.”
The organization, says Shriver, is located in 15 countries and its goal is to expand to 50 countries by the year 2010. “We’re now in Mexico, and other countries in South America. We’re also in Europe. In the Middle East we are in Egypt, and in Saudi Arabia we are working with Prince Sultan ibn Salman,” he said. Shriver said that he was trying to introduce the organization as an NGO (non-governmental organization) in Saudi Arabia and that he was working with Prince Sultan, president of the Disabled Children Association (DCA), to plant the seeds of the organization here and work with people in the community.
“We’re making progress. We visited several disabled community foundations and Prince Salman Center and met with several people there,” Shriver said. “Prince Sultan is committed to it and has a tremendous sensitivity about the issue and I think he is passionate the way I am that people with disabilities need to be integrated into community life,” he asserted.
Since Best Buddies is a non-profit organization, funds are raised in every community based on people’s commitment to the program. “The important thing is that when people see the impact and see the power of relationships and how important it is to send their sons and daughters... I think when you have a good idea and a quality organization, money is always secondary,” he said.
Shriver does not think that his brother-in-law, Arnold Schwarzenegger, becoming governor of the state of California, has anything to do with the American public’s dissatisfaction with the current political system.
“For any state in the United States, or for the country as whole, I think you want people to get results, you want people to be goal-oriented, and work hard to accomplish what they say they will accomplish. And I think Arnold is that kind of guy,” he said. “His style will resonate in any state in the United States. Charismatic, powerful and focused leadership is always valuable and a rare commodity worldwide and he clearly has the skills to get the job done.”
