A peer-to-peer outreach program that trains veterans to provide peer support and linkage to needed resources for service members and veterans. The Program was developed in partnership with the Michigan Army National Guard to meet the unique needs and challenges faced by Citizen Soldiers and Reservists.
The Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program is a free and confidential program that operates throughout the entire state of Michigan. Volunteer Veterans are assigned to National Guard armories, and offer resources and assistance to any soldier from those armories. Volunteer Veterans also provide outreach in their local communities and respond to calls for assistance from any Michigan veteran. The Program trains Volunteer Veterans to link service members with the support, assistance, and resources they might need throughout the deployment cycle. Volunteers help service members address issues ranging from accessing financial, legal, benefit, or educational assistance to identifying mental health providers for emotional or relationship concerns. The primary goal is to intervene early, before identified concerns or stressors escalate into crises. Behind the Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program is a simple concept: Military Service is unlike any other human experience. No one knows more about the issues facing a service member – in combat or on the home front – than a fellow service member. Volunteer Veterans are recruited to the Program from a variety of veteran service organizations and the community. They receive training in communication skills and available community resources to help them assist other service members in managing the many challenges that may arise throughout the deployment cycle. The Buddy-to-Buddy Volunteer Veteran Program was developed at the University of Michigan in partnership with the Michigan Army National Guard; faculty from the Veterans Administration Health System and Michigan State University; and veteran advocates to address the unique challenges facing Citizen Soldiers. These soldiers often deploy multiple times and are isolated from those with whom they served once they return to their home communities.
