Buddy Programme celebrates 30 years of connecting children with adult mentors

This March marks the 30th anniversary of Presbyterian Support Otago’s Buddy Programme which supports the emotional and social well-being of children by matching them with carefully selected and trained adult volunteers in a mentoring relationship.

The programme was first run by The Volunteer Centre in Dunedin in 1985 before being taken over by PSO in 1992. Over the years the service has expanded and during 2021 the Buddy Programme supported 208 young people to connect with their adult mentors, providing a safe and stable relationship with positive role models.

We hope that with your support, young buddies will continue to benefit from creative free time, relief from family demands, and connecting with trusted adult role models.

"Every week I had this cool person who would pick me up and take me out somewhere.”
Young Buddy participant

Buddy Coordinators

We need more adult buddies!

Currently we have 118 matched young buddies, but with many more on our waitlist. If you are interested in finding out more about being an adult buddy please call us on 0508 396 678.