Our Highest Priority
Supervision
Local, Federal, and International Advisories and Guidelines
Emergency Response Procedures
Communications Policy
Program Administrator Screening and Training
Our Highest Priority
Throughout 40 plus years of successfully operating safe, comfortable, and enjoyable educational travel experiences, we have created and thoroughly maintained a rigorous set of safety standards. At Workshops, we take pride in our track record and proactive approach. Through communication, planning, and precautions we aim to keep all travelers out of harm’s way, no matter how minimal the instance. We also fully appreciate the importance of preparedness when traveling and in best managing any unforeseen situations involving health and safety.
Continuing our ongoing commitments to health, supervision, and safety, we extend the following services to all our travelers:
• Established and tested 24-hour international response procedures.
• Compressive international travel, medical and health insurance coverage included with trip package. Insurance provided on margin, for same cost as offered by insurance agent.
Travel insurance coverage Includes:
• AIG Travel Guard through STA Travel
• Family Support – domestic counselors on constant standby assist parents & guardians in every stage of planning and traveling to meet injured participants in destination country
• Air Ambulance Access
• Free Medical Upgrades – upgrades to First Class or other accommodations when deemed necessary by medical professional
• On-call, in-house senior response team and stand-by international network of travel professionals.
• Exhaustive list of procedures and policies – understood and agreed upon by all involved, including in-house staff, field staff, management, students, and parents.
• Professional International Travel Coordinators – Washington Workshops Foundation only partners with reputable, annually retrained international vendors expert in dealing with U.S. travelers. (Learn more about International Travel Coordinators and why we trust ours by clicking here.)
Supervision
We greatly appreciate the importance of supervision and accountability. To this end, the following mechanisms guide our supervision practices during Global Awareness Seminars:
Seminar Standards – Also called a code of conduct, a set of expectations pertaining to supervision and safety, used successfully for over 40 years of Workshops travel study tours. All students must read, understand, and adhere to the Seminar Standards. (Review Seminar Standards here.)
100% Accountability, 100% of the Time – Procedures enacted so that the location of every student during ever moment of the seminar is known. Includes inside hotel rooms, location on a bus, location during an activity or tour, and location during free time, which always take place in a contained space such as a market area, shopping plaza, food court, or mall.
Curfew and Evening Security Checks – Each night there is a strict curfew and security check at 10:00 p.m., unless an activity or travel requires a late arrival to the hotel. After the security check, students may not leave their room until the following morning and approximately 2 hours prior to departure. Curfew and security checks ensure every student is in his or her own room except in case of emergency or medical concern.
Zero Tolerance Policy – Any action that violates U.S. law and/or the laws of the host country is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate removal. Any violation of Seminar Standards that endangers the wellbeing and safety of any seminar participant will result in immediate removal. Removal from the seminar will require a parent to travel to the host country to collect participant and accompany participant home if arrangements cannot be made for the participant to travel home alone.
Prevention First – Through our ongoing communication, awareness, and watchfulness, we hope to prevent all situations that may compromise the wellbeing of the students from happening before they occur. Both prior to and during the seminar we will provide important information to help students remain safe and healthy while abroad. This information may pertain to hydration, nutrition, hygiene, personal safety, and crime prevention.
Staff-to-Student Ratios – Global Awareness Seminars employ a very carefully-considered ratio of students to staff, which will not exceed 10 students to each adult staff member. Staff members may include program directors, program administrators, English-speaking guides, and management from the host country. Each seminar will travel with at least two U.S. staff members, one male and one female, from departure to return, gateway to gateway.
Local, Federal, and International Advisories and Guidelines
We adhere closely to the advice and policies of all international agencies pertaining to safety and travel, including the following: (linked for your convenience)
World Health Organization
United States Department of State
Federal Aviation Administration
National Transportation Safety Board
Center for Disease Control
Respective local and national agencies for each destination country
Emergency Response Procedures
Every effort will be made to use the best available care in the event of an injury or illness. In China – in the larger cities – we use western-owned and operated hospitals. In smaller cities, we will use Chinese hospitals with English speaking departments designed for foreign visitors. Included with your tuition is our Travel Insurance Plan. This supplementary travel, medical, and personal belongings coverage ensures all students have full coverage during the length of the program. For minor medical and health needs, the group will make periodic visits to western drug stores.
Communications Policy
If at any time a participant needs to call home to seek medical advice or comfort, our staff will initiate and pay for said phone call. If at any time a participant or parent requests medical attention, such requests will be immediately granted.
Additionally, Washington Workshops Foundation monitors world events constantly in order to determine if travel, security, accommodation, or other issues may in any way touch a Global Awareness Seminar in session or prior to departure. It is our commitment that all pertinent information should be made available to participants and their families in a timely and transparent fashion. (For current world updates, click here to read our Recent Global News.)
Staff Contacts • Family Emails • Receive Our Updates
Program Administrator Screening and Procedures Training
Program Administrators lead our field staff during Global Awareness Seminars. These international travel experts work closely with students, chaperones, guides, and international personnel to guide and handle day-to-day seminar management. Program Administrators offer travel and academic expertise, as well as years of experience with successful global explorations. To select and train our staff, the following screening and training guidelines are utilized:
Screening Guidelines
Background Check – nationally-recognized research service
Panel Interview with Senior Staff
Thorough Reference Check – a minimum of three (3) references must be approved
Procedures Training
One-week training covering the curricular portions of the seminar, seminar logistics, health and safety polices and best practices regarding security and accountability. Each seminar administrator will have a compressive briefing regarding international travel, the culture and policies of the host country, and best practices in general.