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Text Box: The Buddy Program: A Peer Mentoring Program for Youth with Tourette Syndrome   The Mission: to provide support, mentoring, companionship, and one-to-one friendship to a youth (Young Buddy) with TS. Big Buddies are pre-teens and teens with TS who can serve as a role model to younger children and empower the students to imagine a positive future for themselves.  Big Buddies will also be involved in running youth activities and volunteering at events.  Buddy group activities and events will be offered, which will also reinforce that your children are part of a Buddy Community, in addition to being 1:1 pairings   Big Buddies will commit to meeting with their Young Buddy at least once a month over the course of a year. Serving in the role of a Big Buddy provides pre-teens and teens the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and share their self-advocacy skills in preparation for becoming a Youth Ambassador.  If your school requires community service, this program may qualify.   Becoming part of the Buddy Community will give your child a feeling of empowerment and connection to a community that is built on understanding and compassion for differences.   Matching:  Young Buddies (age 5-11) and Big Buddies (age 12-18) will be matched based on interests, gender, geographic location, and other stated preferences. Contact information will be given to the parent of the Young Buddy who will then schedule the meetings, which must be supervised by the parent of the Young Buddy.   Big Buddy Training: It is the responsibility of the parent of the Young Buddy to train the Big Buddy to work specifically with that child, and to supervise to make it an enjoyable and successful experience for both children.  The big buddy will sign a form indicating they understand the requirements, responsibilities, and time commitment of the program.     For more information about The Buddy Program, contact info@tsa-nyhv.org