Mexico City, Mexico | November 6–8, 2025
Best Buddies International recently wrapped up a powerful three-day visit to Mexico City, focused on strengthening relationships, refining leadership skills, and deepening program impact across Best Buddies Mexico’s work. Led by Cary Ombres, Senior Vice President of Global Mission Impact & Engagement; Jennifer Allen, Vice President of International Programs & Development; and Blake Campbell, Senior Director of Leadership, the visit highlighted both the strength of the local team and the shared commitment to advancing inclusion throughout Mexico.

Across trainings, site visits, and community events, every moment centered on connection - between staff, participants, volunteers, and leaders working together to build a more inclusive society.

Building Stronger Partnerships
The visit began with a warm welcome at the Best Buddies Mexico office, where local staff and the International Programs team spent dedicated time collaborating, reconnecting, and aligning on shared priorities. Strengthening relationships with the Country Directo Tita Edid de Kahan, and team was a top priority, and open dialogue created space for meaningful exchange around local needs, challenges, and opportunities.

Post-visit feedback reflected the value of this relationship-building focus. All participants reported that the visit strengthened collaboration, with 86% indicating relationships were strengthened at a moderate to very strong level. Staff also shared that they felt heard - 100% reported having full or partial opportunities to express local needs, priorities, and challenges, reinforcing the importance of two-way learning during in-country visits.

Strengths Finding & Impact Training
Leadership development was a central focus of the trip. Through interactive sessions on strengths-based leadership and impact measurement, staff explored best practices in:

• Identifying individual and team strengths
• Strengthening communication and problem-solving
• Utilizing data and reporting to better measure program impact
• Improving program structure and consistency

The trainings were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback. More than 85% of participants rated the strengths-based leadership training as “very useful,” with no respondents indicating the content was of little or no value. Similarly, over 70% reported they expect to apply what they learned to a great extent in their daily roles, demonstrating both relevance and immediate applicability.

Participants shared that the sessions sparked reflection and confidence, with one team member noting a “personal reset around my role as a coordinator,” while others highlighted renewed clarity around how to apply their strengths to support teammates, volunteers, and participants more effectively.

Workplace Inclusion in Action
On Friday morning, the team visited local job sites to meet with participants, employers, and partners advancing workplace inclusion through Best Buddies Jobs. These visits offered firsthand insight into the transformative power of meaningful employment and the relationships built between participants and inclusive employers.

Engaging directly with program participants and staff allowed the International Programs team to better understand both successes and growth areas within Mexico’s employment initiatives, informing future collaboration and support.

Honoring Community Through Día de los Muertos
The visit concluded with a vibrant Citizens Program Día de los Muertos celebration, bringing together adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities for a day of cultural expression, community, and belonging.

Participants created art, shared traditions, and honored loved ones—beautifully illustrating how Best Buddies programs intersect with local culture to foster authentic inclusion. The event served as a powerful reminder that community connection is at the heart of Best Buddies’ mission worldwide.

Looking Ahead
By the end of the visit, the Best Buddies Mexico team emerged energized, connected, and equipped with new tools to grow their impact. Feedback emphasized strong interest in continued leadership development, particularly around applying strengths within teams, engaging university-level volunteers, and deepening impact-measurement methodologies.

Team members also expressed a desire for sustained engagement through ongoing touchpoints, future trainings, and expanded in-person collaboration, building the momentum created during the visit.

Best Buddies International is proud to support the continued growth of Best Buddies Mexico and looks forward to an exciting year ahead, driven by strong partnerships, empowered leaders, and a shared commitment to inclusion. This visit also reinforced the value of two-way learning, with insights and ideas from Mexico informing and strengthening Best Buddies programs in the United States and beyond.