Sidekicks

Welcome to Sidekicks!

Sidekicks is Special Kicks’ buddy mentor program. It grew out of an arrangement between two moms and a pair of boys who quickly became natural friends.

Our program is designed to provide support and guidance to children, teens, and adults with special needs through the help of trained buddy mentors or “sidekicks.” We believe that everybody deserves to have a friend and a supportive community that can help them develop their social skills, achieve their goals, and enhance their overall well-being.

Our buddy mentor program is open to students in our Special Kicks program with a variety of different abilities associated with but not limited to autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and Tourette syndrome. Our program pairs each student with a trained sidekick who has undergone introductory training in a social skills workshop. Sidekicks are carefully selected and matched with a student based on shared interests and personalities to create a positive and supportive relationship.

Our program provides a variety of activities and resources that cater to the unique needs of each student. Each sidekick will work with his or her new friend to help them develop social skills, practice communication, discover self-confidence, build independence, and promote inclusion.

We believe that our buddy mentor program can make a positive impact in the lives of our Special Kicks students and their families. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about our program. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or if you are interested in joining our program as a sidekick or as a participant.