Befriender Scheme Proposal
Universities need to ensure that students with Asperger Syndrome can get the most out of their experience not just academically but socially as well. Therefore, I proposed a list of recommendations that you can e-mail to universities:
A one to one befriending scheme, available for all students with Asperger, even second and third years. Befrienders (the student’s age group) should provide individually tailored social skills training to improve areas the student has problems in, and meet up with the students to do social activities together weekly for at least 2 hours a week eg. Cinema, bowling, meal etc.. They should also protect students from bullying and exploitation. Social activity costs reimbursed for the volunteer and the rewards I mentioned at the role description, to prevent the potential risk of too few people applying) If possible, the university should try to match up befriendees to befrienders who have similar values, based on the risk plan ‘befriender does not get on well’ section.
Very heavy promotion of the befriending scheme to encourage students to apply to be befrienders, batch e-mailing of all second and third year students about the scheme and rewards, every spring a recruitment week when outside the union building, union reps or befrienders should be giving leaflets to students passing by about the buddy scheme, a table should be next to the reps/befrienders where another volunteer with an ipad is present so that students can immediately apply to the scheme on that ipad and get some freebies if they sign up if they decide to apply for the scheme on the spot.
Befrienders to be trained by the Student Enabling Centre to ensure they have information regarding autism, safeguarding etc.
The befriender should be allowed to escort students to and from lectures if the student feels bullied/exploited by someone on their course. They will get permission from the lecturers to be late/leave early to escort the student if they have lessons during the time when the student is about to begin his/her lecture.
Befrienders will provide social skills training for the students ie during their activities they will observe the student’s social skills and will give feedback after every session to see what area they could improve. During the first session the befriendee will be required to tell the befriender what areas they find difficult so that they can focus on improving skills in those situations. In case where the student feels they want to practice meeting new people, the student and the befriender could join a society or go to some social events together so that the befriender could evaluate how they interact with other people.
A transition event ie first year students with Asperger should be allowed to move in a week earlier than the rest of the students. During that time the befriender meets them up and shows them around campus and they can familiarise themselves with their surroundings before they meet their flatmates to make it a bit less overwhelming. When being shown around the campus, it could be useful to record it on phone so the student will not forget where they went.
All students with Asperger should have the right to have a befriender regardless of the year they are in. If someone had a befriender in the first year who was second year at the time for example, then that student can continue to support the befriendee in the second year and after he/she graduates, the student will get a new befriender if he/she wants a befriender in the final year. Ideally if befrienders are changed, the new one should be chosen who is in the same year as the student.
There should be no ‘professional boundaries’ as this scheme is supposed to be informal to make it as likely as possible that a natural close friendship develops. Befrienders and the befriendee should be allowed and encouraged to meet up besides the 2 hour slot every week. These meetings are not required to be reported to the enabling centre.