Over a year ago on Twitter, I stumbled upon a movement called "Buddy Project." I noticed one of my friends had been tweeting about her “buddy” she met through there, and I thought I should check it out.

Buddy Project is a non-profit movement founded by Gabby Frost that pairs people with a buddy. The goal is to raise awareness about mental health and help prevent suicide and self-harm. It is super easy to be paired up with a buddy. All you need is your first name, Twitter handle, age, and two of your interests. There is also a group chat option where you can meet friends with the same interest as you.

Since it was easy, I decided to try it for myself. I entered in the information and later that night, I checked the website for my buddy. I didn’t know anything about this person, except that his name was Cesar. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous at first, but once we got talking we realized how much we had in common.

Cesar is from Connecticut and is just a year younger than me. We first discovered we both like soccer. It was great to finally get to talk to someone about players and the sport in general. Then, we realized we both like the same kind of music. I don’t know how many times we’ve talked about metalcore, different bands, and concerts. I’m still jealous he’s seen my favorite band in concert!

Besides having so much in common, it’s been great to have someone to talk to. We’ve both gone through some really tough times, and it has been nice to be able to share that with someone who I know will always lend a listening ear.

I can’t thank Buddy Project enough for pairing me with Cesar. I highly recommend it to anyone who is going through a hardship in their life, or someone who wants to be another person’s shoulder to lean on. This movement is wonderful and I’m thankful for everything that has happened since I was paired.

For more information on Buddy Project and how you can be paired, visit http://www.buddy-project.org