International Health, Safety, and Risk Management for Group Leaders

Meet your GEO Support Team

We are here for you, should you need any assistance planning, during, or after your program!

Sara Gutierrez: Faculty-Led International Program Coordinator

Participant Orientations and Setting Expectations

Students (and all other program participants) must participate in a student health & safety pre-departure orientation provided by GEO. ​ There are also several optional orientations provided by GEO. Finally, GEO recommends program leaders customize orientations for their location and participants.

1.GEO Pre-Departure Health and Safety (Required): A self-paced Health and Safety Pre-departure Orientation is included in the participant health and safety registration. It is a broad overview or GEO expectations and requirements to help ensure a safe and successful trip. Once the participant has reviewed the material, they will take a short quiz. You can see the orientation by clicking here. We offer this orientation in person and via zoom. If you would like a small group orientation, please let GEO know.

2. Setting Expectations and Country-Specific Orientation Led by Program Leaders (Recommended): We recommend that program leaders offer a country specific orientation before departure to discuss information relevant to the country and to set clear expectations of participants. Similar to having academic expectations, it’s important to set standards and expectations early. We recommend including this information in pre-departure orientation, in the syllabus for your course, and in group discussions. Where appropriate, allow participant input.

Examples of setting clear expectations include:

• If going out after dark, please go out in at least pairs​. A buddy system is recommended.
• Over the weekend, if departing XXXX, please let us know your destination/plans. This can be sent via WhatsApp. We want to be able to help if we need to. XXX co-leader and I plan to be in XXX so we are available, should you need us. ​
• Please be back in your housing by “X:XX. PM”. (As program leaders you may not be able check this and are not expected to, but you have provided the expectation to the participants.​)
• Reminder: Please have your CISI health insurance information with you at all times ​
• XXX area is known for X. It’s best not walk in this area of the city after dark.​
• Alcohol is usually involved with accidents, this is an academic program so please refrain from drinking in excess.

Also, be sure to state the consequences of failing to meet expectations clearly and carefully in orientation AND in the syllabus. Examples include:

• If you are caught breaking the rules, you may be suspended from program.
• If you miss x amount of outings, your grade will be lowered X each time.

3. GEO Pre-Departure Cultural Competency Orientation (Optional): Students can opt to take a self-paced orientation about Preparing for Cultural Differences. It is also available in the participant health and safety registration portal. Group leaders can select to make it required. You can view the material by clicking here.

4. Arrival/Onsite Orientation Led by Program Leader(s): Things to consider discussing with your group:

• Emergency meeting locations away from accommodations
• Exchange / verify contact information
• Agree how to communicate in the event of emergency
• Review cultural considerations, basic phrases in local language, and safety tips
• Update itinerary or any changes
• Ensure everyone has their Emergency Contact Card. GEO will provide each program leader with Emergency contact cards for their participants. Please provide these cards to students at the On-Site/Arrival Orientation. We have found that many participants carry all important information in their phone. If someone ends up in emergency situations without their phone, this can be a useful tool. Please review it with your participants and aid them with filling it out if needed. (See example below)

Although participants are of legal age, you and UNM are responsible for participants on this program, and the responsibility does not end at the end of the day or over the weekend. ​Each program leader has a different threshold for risk. In addition, each location poses different risk. Therefore, consider what ground rules you want to set for your program. Programs with clear expectations, recommendations, and reminders have significantly less health and safety issues. This is not only our professional opinion based on our experience working with several UNM faculty members, but is also considered best practice in international education. ​​

Emergency Plans & Conditions for a Safe Program

You are responsible for ensuring a safe learning environment for program participants while abroad. There will always be inherent risk in leading a group. No single plan can address all contingencies that may arise and leaders cannot control every variable. However, if you are diligent in creating an Emergency Plan you prepare yourself and your participants to make the best decisions possible should an emergency arise. Be sure to share the plan with your participants and co-create it with them when possible. Here are some things do consider while creating your plan:

1. Research and recognize risks for the destination. Include your findings in the orientation. Plan to routinely discuss safety concerns before and during the travel. Invite participants to discuss any concerns they have. We recommend using the following to get a better understanding of the conditions of the country:

Step Enrollment

US Travel Health Resources

• Travel.State.Gov
• CDC.Gov

Canadian Health Resources

• Canadian Public Health Agency
• Canadian CDC. Gov
• Canadian Travel Advisory

U.K. Health Resources

• U.K. Health Security Agency
• U.K., including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland CDC.Gov
• U.K. Travel Advisory

2. Enlist a second program leader​. This can be another faculty member, local facilitator, or responsible student. If something happens to you, someone else can lead the group.

3. Make sure you have access to student information like emergency contact information ​. Program leaders can access participant information in the TerraDotta System at anytime. In addition, GEO will provide program leaders with participant information on a OneDrive or USB. You are welcome to print and carry a hard copies. (Please return USBs after the program so we can clear them and use them again). If you print participant information, please be sure to shred it after the program.

4. Be available for adequate supervision and engagement. Offer daily reminders (in Person, through What’s App, printouts) ​ of days events, pertinent information such as what to bring, and where to meet.

5. Have an itinerary and an alternate itinerary. Select a meet up location ​in case the group gets separated. Make a back-up plan in case current plan falls through. Include a curfew in your itineraries. This will depend on your program and its location.

6. Ensure accident and injury readiness. Be sure to locate nearest medical facilities. If a participant is in the hospital, one leader must stay with the participant and the other can continue with the group.

7. Understand travel insurance basics (see below). GEO recommends Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) for most programs​. A self-enrollment link will appear in the system after the program proposal is approved or you can access it directly by clicking here. Most US insurances will NOT cover you abroad so it is important to purchase travel insurance. Once you are registered with the CISI insurance, you can search doctors on the CISI website or download the CISI App.

This is not an all inclusive list. We encourage you to critically think through other items that may be relevant to you or your program.

We’re a team.

GEO is constantly monitoring the world, especially the locations where our students are. We monitor many sources for up to date information including the following:

1. US State Department/ Center for Disease Control ​
2. Travel Advisories​
3. STEP Registration​
4. CISI Insurance Briefings ​
5. The News
6. Local Contacts

Wellness Checks

If there is an emergency flagged in the region where you are, we will contact you by email or phone. Please have your contact information updated in your proposal​. Be sure to respond ASAP! If we can’t get ahold of you, we will start reaching out to the participants in the group​ or your Emergency Contact person.

While we try our best to make sure we are keeping an eye on global events, there may be some emergencies that are not flagged in local areas where you may be. If you are aware of an emergency in your area first, please contact us. We need to hear from you about the status of the group. ​

If you have emergency or issue, PLEASE reach out to GEO:

1. Faculty-Led Program Coordinator, (flip@unm.edu)​ 505-277-4032 (day hours)
2. GEO 24 Hour Emergency Phone: 505-277-4436 (4GEO) ​ ****These numbers are listed on the Orange Emergency Cards

GEO commits to assisting you with the following in case of an emergency:

• Provide support to find care/resources
• Assist coordination with the insurance so that you can concentrate on what is happening in country.
• Offer advice and/or documentation
• Develop an action plan customized with you
• Communicate with campus and parents, when appropriate, to provide information about your situation

How would you handle the following situations?

Please think through the following scenarios. Below the photo you will find suggested solutions. However, many situations do not have one perfect answer. Therefore, we ask that you follow the link at the end of the section to let us know how you would handle the scenarios if they are different to the solution we provided.

1. A student on your program complains of serious stomach pain and nausea. They need medical attention.

2. A student suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. New triggers surface while in country.

3. You (faculty leader) are hospitalized

4. Your group is traveling between program locations via bus when there is an accident. A majority of the students and one chaperone are injured.

5. One or many students are excessively drinking.

6. The students went out together last night. This morning one student does not show up at your meeting point. The other participants say that the student was drinking and left late at night even after they tried to stop him.

7. You are in a country with minor political turmoil. Until now, there has been no major violence. However, you see more demonstrations and isolated violence; it feels like things are escalating. You start to feel uncomfortable staying in country.

8. You receive a call from the local police department regarding a student arrested.

9. You are abroad when the borders shut due to a flare in covid-19. None of the student are ill.

Please share your suggested responses by clicking the button below. We will add the responses to the presentation to share with fellow program leaders. In addition if you have scenario ideas, situations you have maneuvers abroad, please let us know.