Best Buddies, an Oakland University student organization, engages in community outreach efforts that goes beyond the acres of OU’s campus. Best Buddies is an international organization with the mission of promoting inclusion among individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The college track of the program allows disabled young adults to engage in social activities with neurotypical and neurodivergent college students.
This academic year, the club has seen record numbers in turnout for its events and plans to continue to peak in its outreach efforts.
The program’s success is in part due to the efforts of the organization’s secretary, Ayah Neiroukh. Neiroukh has, in partnership with Best Buddies president Payton Bucki, ushered events that allow “buddies” and their OU student partners to spend quality time together. However, the friendships developed through Best Buddies go beyond the walls of the event spaces.
“You make a one-on-one friendship with someone with IDD, which is an intellectual or developmental disability,” Neiroukh said. “If you get matched up with someone, you meet up with them and hang out with them one-on-one.”
The organization’s social events are a mainstay as well, though. The group meets as a whole bi-monthly at pre-planned locations.
“We also have group meetings, so anyone without a buddy can come,” Neiroukh said. ‘We just aim to have a good time and provide support for the buddies.’”
These events span an array of locations and activities. Some are on campus, like at the Oakland Center, while others are off campus.
“We try to have meetings every two weeks. We had a pottery event last week and next week we’re having a movie night in The Habitat,” Neiroukh said. “The biggest event of the year is the bowling fundraiser and we have it at Avon North Hill Lanes.
Still, even with tremendous event turnout, the organization is looking to increase its number of participants. Neiroukh and other board members have considered numerous ways to reach their participation goals.
“We’ve gotten a lot of people to join, but not as much as we’d like,” Neiroukh said. “We have our social media, it’s growing. Instagram is one of the ways we have to spread the word. I talk about it to my friends whenever I have the chance. We also had a table at Grizzfest.”
The group is ultimately about pushing inclusivity and welcoming individuals who face challenges, and making them feel comfortable in being themselves. The next event, movie night, is going to do just that.
“The next event is movie night, the group decided to watch Legally Blonde,” Neiroukh said. “Then after that, bowling is March 8.”
Best Buddies events are open to anyone. That is the appeal of the organization. If one does not have a buddy, they can still get involved and have an impact on someone with an IDD.
If students are not from the Oakland area, Best Buddies is a great way to familiarize themselves with the area and create roots within it. Many buddies and their families are not students at OU, but reside or go to school elsewhere in the area.
“We have the people with the IDD, and they usually are not students, but a lot of them go to schools nearby here in Rochester,” Neiroukh said. “It’s not necessarily Oakland students.”
More information on the group can be found on its GrizzOrgs profile and Instagram page.
