About Us
Peer 1 on 1 is a non-profit organization which targets autism and other developmental disorders by allowing autistic children (ages five to eighteen) with opportunities to interact with our teen volunteers. Activities include watching movies together, going on hiking trips, playing sports together, attending major events for autism, and much more (refer to our “Activities” page and our “Upcoming Activities” page).
​
​Our Purpose
Peer 1 on 1’s purpose is to create a more autistic friendly environment for future generations by providing opportunities for neurotypical and autistic teens to get to know each other and by increasing autism awareness in the community.
​
Many autistic people have limited contact with their peers. As a result, many accumulate feelings such as helplessness, disappointment, and frustration. These detrimental emotions often push for further negative behavior, which may encourage their peers to alienate, exclude, or even bully them. Peer 1 on 1 wants to help reduce these behaviors by creating opportunities for autistic teens to be able to have more social interactions with high school volunteers through activities and programs that will expose autistic teens to social scenarios they will encounter in the future. Past activities we’ve had together include watching movies, playing games, and playing sports together. In addition, these activities will improve the quality of life of autistic teens by giving them more opportunities to participate in active activities to avoid having them stay home too long, where they often develop unhealthy behaviors such as oversleeping, overeating, or spending too much time on electronics.
Many people do not know how to communicate or interact with autistic people when they meet them, leading them to misunderstand, unintentionally harm, or ignore them. Peer 1 on 1 wants to increase autism awareness, especially by helping to erase negative stigmas around autism and educating them on handling autistic behaviors. This way, they will understand how to interact with autistic people in the future, help everyone feel welcome, and possibly continue to support autism-related causes in the future.
​
Want to Become Involved?
Peer 1 on 1 not only seeks to benefit autistic children, but to also benefit our volunteers. We accept teen volunteers over the age of 11 and adult volunteers. Through events, teen volunteers can increase their knowledge of autism, obtain service hours, and get to know autistic peers. Adult volunteers can volunteer the same way as teen volunteers but would also be able to provide supervision. We operate in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas of Southern California in the United States. However, if you do not live near Los Angeles or Orange County and are interested in volunteering or would like to set up your own chapter of Peer 1 on 1 in your area, please contact us. If a club, group, or organization would like to get involved as a whole with Peer 1 on 1, please contact us through the “Contact Us” page. Such ways for different groups to get involved include hosting joint activities or events with Peer 1 on 1 or allowing members of high school clubs to receive hours for volunteering in Peer 1 on 1.
Note: Although Peer 1 on 1 focuses on autism, we welcome all special needs individuals to participate in activities and become a part of our organization.
You can join us through visiting the “Join Us” page!