Diversity Issues in Study Abroad – Student Testimonies

Smith College created a fantastic booklet called Diversity Issues in Study Abroad that is available online for no cost. The booklet is a collection of quotes done through a survey of Brown University students returning home from spring semester/full year 1999-2000 or fall semester 2000-2001 studying abroad. The booklet includes issues of diversity in study abroad, including ethnicity, heritage, sexual orientation, religion, minority/majority issues, physical appearance and language. Students share real-life stories and experiences from their time studying abroad.

Locations discussed include a broad range of specific countries within Africa, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Valuable statistics are featured in graphs along with photographs of various countries visited.

This booklet includes some amazing testimonies from students, some who experienced being a minority for the first time and some who were treated like locals.In this booklet, students explore the varying concepts of ethnicity, racism, gender, and sexuality all within their different intercultural experiences. Gaining intercultural experience can be life changing, as it teaches us about different people, different cultures and differing ways of life. As we learn more about other cultures and their worldviews, habits and beliefs, we learn more about ourselves and the millions of people that make up the world around us. Intercultural experience is a powerful and valuable thing.

Industry Security Specialist Joe Serio’s Feedback on ASAPP Checklist - Safe Study Abroad

Keynote speaker, trainer and author Joe Serio gave some valuable feedback about the ASAPP checklist that ClearCause has developed to help keep students safe abroad. Dr. Joe Serio holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University (SHSU), with a specialization in Leadership and Organizational Behavior. He has coordinated, hosted and presented at more than 100 training programs and conferences and has spent years working in and with the Soviet Union investigating the Russian mafia. He is an industry security specialist and has spent significant time overseas.

“Your material covers a lot of the fundamental information students and their emergency contacts/parents/guardians should know and be prepared for,” Joe wrote in an email to ClearCause founder Sheryl Hill.

Below are some valuable points from Joe Serio that every student should read before going abroad.

1. The ranking of resources for assistance could be different from country to country.For example, in some countries, turning to the police for assistance may not be the best first response. For example, in places like Mexico, Russia, and others, students may have as many problems with the police as they do with the specific issue they’re facing. I don’t know if it’s feasible to create a hierarchy of response based on countries or types of regions they’re visiting. For example, in a major city, the first stop might be a U.S. government representative office, while in others, particularly European countries, the police might be the first stop.

2.  If the police are a source of assistance, students should know where the precinct house is located relative to where they’re living.

3. Obviously, students need to know if there are U.S. government representative offices in the country: Embassy, Consulate, Trade Office, and the location(s) and contact information.

4. If the students are not in a major city, they should understand the lay of the land: are there U.S. or Western companies working in the town or city they’re staying in? Are there foreign missionary groups active in the area? Are there other English-language resources available on the ground? The idea of ‘going native’ could be very attractive. However, fully immersing oneself in local culture also may cut one off from sources of assistance.

5. Students need to know the location of clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical facilities relative to where they’re living. They need to be clear about their allergies and medications.

6. Students should understand that casinos, brothels, and bars in certain neighborhoods are not places they need to be. In addition, they need to understand where the no-go areas are in any city.

7. Students and emergency contacts/parents/guardians should understand the most prevalent types of crime in the area they will be staying and how to minimize the possibility of victimization. In some countries, for example Brazil, there is considerable street crime, pocket picking, deception, robbery, etc.

8. Students should be versed in the environment they are traveling to. What the student thinks as very little money, for example $5-$100, may be a considerable amount for locals. Talking about money, flashing a wad of dollar bills, any bragging or ostentatious display of cash is an invitation for trouble. Students need to be aware of how to access cash (if it’s even possible) in the area in which they will be staying. This will determine how much they will have to bring. The same applies to the use of credit cards – will credit cards be universally accepted where they’re staying?

9. Students should have copies of their passport pages, ID, and probably credit cards when they go overseas. Likewise, emergency contacts/parents/guardians back home should have a copy of these things. Both students and their emergency contact/parents/guardians should be very clear about calling overseas if they have to use country codes and local city codes. What is dialed from inside the country is not always the same as what is dialed from outside the country.

10. Emergency contacts/parents/guardians should be provided a roster of the trip with names and contact information of the parents or guardians of other people on the trip, a kind of phone tree available to parents in case the child isn’t heard from for an inordinate amount of time, or if something has gone wrong and they need information from on the ground. I have learned that the U.S. government is not always the best source of support or information for parents of students traveling overseas.”

The ASAPP checklist includes more than 50 powerful safety checkpoints that students should accomplish before traveling abroad. Download the free checklist here.

Students – Tell Us About YOUR Study Abroad Trip!

We at ClearCause want to hear about your Study Abroad experiences! Where did you go? How would you rate the program? Did you feel safe? Tell us about your trips overseas!

The Rate My Study Abroad website is a fantastic resource for students to share their study abroad experiences with other students who are planning to go abroad in the future. The website was created by students for students and is not beholden to any study abroad providers, universities or companies profiting from students studying abroad. This means that the reviews on this website have other agenda other than educating students on various study abroad programs. Check it out!

Costa Rica is a popular choice for many students who decide to study abroad. Horrifically, many stories of students traveling to Costa Rica end in tragedy. Read about students like you that studied abroad there: Erik Downes’, Zoe Damon, Justin Johnston, Ravi Thackurdeen and so many more. See more stories on the ClearCause blog here.

If you’ve been on a study abroad program, share your story with other students to educate them on the risks and dangers before they go! If you are planning on studying abroad, educate yourself on basic safety and emergency procedures before leaving the country.Invest in the Stu Card, which is internationally recognized travel insurance and a discount card available exclusively for students and educators. Finally, download the free ASAPP Checklist from ClearCause Foundation to prepare for your study abroad trip. It may save your life.

Advocating for Change

Ros Thackurdeen lost her son, Ravi, in April 2012 while he was studying abroad in Costa Rica. (Read his story here.) Since his death, she has been working with ClearCause to conduct research and investigations to find out what happened to her son and what could have done to prevent his death.

There are no rules or regulations that protect students when they are abroad. Ros started reaching out to state legislators to make change. “I couldn’t sleep at night so I would Google information about study abroad programs and sanctions,” Ros said. She made packages of information including stories of other students who have died to send to state legislators to bring awareness to this problem. “So many have died,” she said. “I kept finding more and more stories of students who have died, who have been injured, who have been raped, who have been assaulted, who have been murdered overseas.”

Ros applied for and was accepted as a ClearCause Advocate because her goals aligned with ClearCause's: to keep students safe as they study abroad.

This fall, ClearCause was given the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. ClearCause founder Sheryl Hill and Ros visited the offices of Senator Gillibrand and Governor Andrew Cuomo to advocate for safety regulations for students who study abroad. ClearCause directed the engagements there.

Sheryl and Ros also met with VTV Family Outreach Foundation, an organization that provides campus safety advocacy and campus violence victim support after the April 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech. ClearCause collaborates with this organization to lobby for laws to keep college students safe and protect students on campuses. “We want to become stronger,” Ros said.

Teen American Thugs Shot & Killed Chris Zane, Australian Baseball Star

Australia Responds by Calling for a Tourism Boycott of the United States

Today, former Australian deputy Prime Minister - Fischer urged Australian tourists to avoid America to protest for stricter gun controls in the United States in honor of Christopher Zane.  (Read CNN’s Report.)

Citizens in America and Australia mourn for Christopher Zane, a collegiate baseball player and student studying abroad in the U.S.A. Our sympathy is not enough over the death of an innocent shot because three teenage “thugs” were bored. There must be justice and change.

Recently, a Costa Rica citizen chimed in on a ClearCause memorial blog written in honor of Justin Johnston the week of August 19, 2013. This comment reads:

“I am sad for you but you do not understand Costa Rica. Hotels have been robbed by armed banditos. The fact that any court here at all gave a 15-year sentence to the shooter is remarkable. Here this is considered a long sentence,especially in that the guard was attempting to do his job. This is a third world country with much crime and the guards are poor, uneducated people. Nothing excuses what happened, but truly if he got 15 years in jail, you are lucky. I walk armed in my neighborhood at night where the guards know me and things are lit up. From my understanding, your son was sneaking through a barbed wire fence after a curfew set to ensure safety. I wish I knew what to tell you but this is life here – all the guards are generally uneducated, untrained and often illegal aliens. If you think you are going to change a third world country’s behavior, you are not. They gave a sever sentence for down here. I have many friends from America who have been shot and stabbed and the perpetrators received no sentence. And, in those cases, it was not an accident but an assault. Some have been murdered and the perpetrators received a less sever sentence than your son’s shooter. Rather than seeking vengeance against a poor third world country doing it’s best, maybe this sad thing will serve as a lesson for future tourists down here to be careful, follow rules and not expect much justice. Your son could also have been attacked by a Puma, Jaguar or bitten by a fer-de lance snake – it is dangerous down here, especially if rules are not followed.”

ClearCause Foundation replied promptly stating:

“Thank you for writing and enlightening uninformed readers about the dangers of Costa Rica. We wish you safety and peace.

Seeking justice for Justin is not the same as vengeance. Vengeance would be without due process.

Tourism is a major source of income for many third world countries. Third world countries have changed when their actions or failures have resulted in tourism boycotts.

It may be exactly the boycott we need to shape a better future. We share one world.”

(Read the conversation here.)

No laws govern our overseas programs escorting American students abroad.  Please advocate for change by sending an email to your lawmakers at http://www.clearcausefoundation.org/voices

Safety means the world to America’s most precious treasures, its sons and daughters on programs abroad.

ClearCause Public Service Announcements with A2F Pictures Nominated for Emmy

The ClearCause Pubic Service Announcements by A2F Pictures have been nominated for a 2013 Upper Midwest Regional Emmy! See the news here in the 30B: Community/Public Service (PSAs) section.

These videos were produced by Mark Mazur, James Rautmann and Trent Hilborn of A2F Pictures. See videos below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esuo3E5Ij70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg0rJAT4YVI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4kXV-cAYQY

ClearCause received an in-kind grant of. $10,000 for three compelling pubic service announcements. Goodwill Communications has been airing these on cable channels for months before millions of viewers.

The 14th annual Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Awards Gala is hosted by Chris Saffer of WCCO-TV. It takes place on September 28, 2013 with a dinner at Solera and program at the State Theater in Minneapolis.

Advice for New College Students

A new article from The Society Pages gives new college students advice from two experienced sociologists who have over 15 years of college teaching combined. Lisa Wade and Gwen Sharp’s advice ranges from academics to parties to social pressures – all experiences that new college students experience once getting to college. Below are some highlights from their article.

1. Don’t put pressure on yourself to get straight As from the get-go.

“Getting an A in course is a combination of effort, prior knowledge and experience, so being smart at college means learning a specific skill set.... Be patient with yourself.”

2. Sometimes studying hurts, and that’s a good thing.

“The mind is like a muscle – if you use it, it becomes stronger. You’re not really challenging and improving your mind until it hurts a little. You may find that learning can sometimes feel kind of like suffering. This is normal. It doesn’t mean that you’re not smart, it means that you’re getting even smarter.”

3. If you don’t like parties, there may be something you can do.

“Some schools have a much more dominant party culture than others. If you start to feel like your campus isn’t a good fit for you, there may be solutions—different dorms can have dramatically different atmospheres, for instance. A simple move across campus might help you find a community that you’re more comfortable in.”

4. Memorize the phrase “pluralistic ignorance.”

“Research shows that most college students misperceive their peers’ behaviors and attitudes. They think drug and alcohol use is higher than it is and that their peers are less concerned about it than they are. They also tend to think that everyone else might be having more fun. We suspect this is even worse now that everyone stalks each other on social networks.  Keep in mind the possibility that studying a lot, having other responsibilities, and not partying all the time is normal.”

5. Finally, take the time to make true friends.

“There’s a very strong correlation between happiness and being surrounded by friends you can really talk to.  In fact, both psychological and physical well-being are more strongly related to friendship than they are to romance.  So, hook up and form relationships if you want, but don’t prioritize sex and romance over friendship.  The latter is equally important to a happy, fulfilling life.”

Read the full article here.