Our final session gave us an opportunity to reflect on what we learned throughout the volunteer training program.
Each volunteer presented an individual case reflection and identified meaningful lessons from working with a buddy. We concluded the program by celebrating everyone’s growth and completing our volunteer portfolios.
All ten volunteers attended the sixteenth and final session of the soop the buddy training program. The session focused on reflection, case presentations, and documenting our experiences.
Each volunteer delivered a five-minute case presentation. The presentations described a situation involving a buddy, the support strategy that was used, the child’s response, and what the volunteer learned from the experience.
The reflections demonstrated how much the group had grown over the course of the program. Volunteers discussed communication, sensory needs, safety, emotional regulation, autonomy, and the importance of adapting support to each individual child.
The end of a program is also the beginning of putting what we learned into action.
At the end of the session, all ten volunteers received soop the buddy certificates of completion. They also finalized their portfolio entries, documenting their training, responsibilities, and personal reflections.
Completing the program was not simply about earning a certificate. It marked the development of greater patience, empathy, responsibility, and awareness. As we concluded this 16-week journey, we celebrated not only what we had accomplished but also the relationships and lessons that would continue to shape us.