Under the influence of social developments, such as the anti-psychiatry movement, attention began to be paid in the early 1990s to a "new" group of vulnerable people: (former) psychiatric patients. People with psychiatric problems are no longer treated in clinics for long periods of time: the starting point is now that they continue to function in their own living environment. However, some are at risk of social isolation. Existing care and service institutions are not equipped to provide sufficient social and informal support. In Amsterdam, this leads to the idea of buddy projects and eventually to the establishment of the Amsterdam Friends Services Foundation.
Not help but friendship
In a buddy project, people who are or threaten to become socially isolated due to a (previous) psychiatric condition are put in contact with a volunteer. This person becomes their buddy. They meet every week. It is emphatically not about assistance, but about friendly contact, based on mutual respect. So no 'change goals', but addressing people on their healthy sides. Because there is a need for this, in addition to the individual buddy contacts, a group for women was started at the end of 1996. They met every two weeks. It was for fun, but discussions on specific topics were also regularly scheduled. And the participants go on outings together.
Autonomous and more active
In 1997, Friends Service Borgerstraat, the Schieman and the Kompaan jointly organized the symposium "On the Bridge Between Care and Welfare" in the Red Hat, with the goal of creating broad support for these projects within the mental health (gz) community and among the city districts. During this symposium, researchers from the Verwey-Jonker Institute will present the report 'A buddy made to measure'. The report states the importance of buddy work: 'It contributes to the quality of life of the target group. People become more autonomous and active and start to pay more attention and care for themselves.' Because always more participants sign up for the Friends Services than volunteers, people are forced to wait on the waiting list. In 1998, De Regenboog Groep founded the EropUit group. People waiting for a buddy go out together in groups of two to four in the neighborhood.
Buddy projects
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