Safety and Risk Management
We Take Health & Safety Seriously
Global Glimpse students explore beyond-the-beaten-path destinations and experience personal growth through new experiences. We understand that risk is an inherent part of our program. We also understand that each traveler is an individual with distinct perspectives and abilities. Whether trying new foods, hiking a canyon, or exploring rural areas, at Global Glimpse risk management is fundamental to positive transformation. Our passion and commitment to safeguarding our students and staff is driven by strong leadership and executed with unwavering commitment from our US and international staff, board members, and partners.
Safety By the Numbers
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Pre-Trip Prevention & Planning
We believe that minimizing risk abroad starts well before the trip. In an effort to minimize the risk of incidents occurring on our international programs, we take important preventative actions before our students travel.
We require all participants to fill out detailed health history reports when they apply. Our staff reviews every health report to understand the best ways to support our students while in-country.
Each of our in-country service providers undergo a strict risk assessment conducted by our staff prior to the arrival of our program participants to ensure that they adhere to Global Glimpse’s strict safety standards.
We use rigorous site selection criteria to evaluate the locations where our students travel. Each program site is evaluated for safety, security, and infrastructure, and itineraries are planned so students spend very little time in capital cities.
We work diligently to provide our students and their families with detailed information leading up to the Global Glimpse experience. Every student is required to bring a parent or legal guardian to a mandatory Pre-trip Orientation where a Global Glimpse staff member reviews all of the trip logistics, health and safety protocol, communication best practices, and program rules with the students and parents.
Experienced Staff & Training
A trained, committed and caring team in the US and in-country supports our international immersion programs. With backgrounds in risk management, teaching, experiential education, international development, psychology and group facilitation, our staff is made up of professionals in the industry with years of experience supporting students, parents and staff in experiential education programs abroad.
This team of full-time staff, who live and work in the US, provides world-class resources and support to participants and in-country staff to have safe and meaningful programs, and to ensure students, families, and teachers are supported leading up to, during, and after their international trips. The members of this team include but are not limited to Marcela Berrios, VP of International Programs, Miguel Cubas, International Heath & Safety Manager, Jennifer Zhang, International Programs Manager, Ben Polansky, Chief Growth Officer, Brent Nichols, VP of US Programs, Joshua Dubansky, Medical Director, Maureen MacConnell, Mental Health Advisor and Dave Dennis, Risk Management & Strategy Advisor. Read more about them on our staff page and at Cornerstone Safety Group.
For each of our international immersion programs, our trip leaders are composed of two US educator chaperones and two full-time Global Glimpse in-country Program Coordinators. Together they are a dynamic team that blends an understanding of student needs with a depth of local knowledge to provide students with a safe and authentic experience abroad. In addition, we have a full-time International Leadership Team that lives in our host countries year-round to maintain strong relationships with our community partners and support our international staff and programs.
Members of our Risk Management Team as well as In-Country Program Coordinators are trained to respond to a variety of mental health and wellness issues. The training provides our staff with techniques, expert advice, and the opportunity to practice supporting students who may experience mental health and wellness issues while abroad.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Training for all Risk Management Team members and In-country Coordinators is designed to covers key areas such as unconscious bias, gender pronouns, inclusive group dynamics, and cross-cultural education. This training equips our staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to better support and understand students from diverse backgrounds. Through engaging and thoughtful discussions and activities, our team members become more adept at navigating and addressing the various challenges and situations that arise within diverse student groups, ensuring a supportive and inclusive environment for our participants.
Expert Partners
Global Glimpse works with some of the most reputable and experienced providers in the fields of international medical support, security, mental health, travel medicine, and crisis communication. Our rigorous safety standards and emergency response plans are regularly reviewed to ensure we are at the forefront of our industry.
International SOS is a premier medical, security and emergency service provider that gives our Global Glimpse staff and participants access to emergency evacuation and crisis support services. ISOS is a 24-hour provider with facilities in more than 70 countries worldwide. Their professional staff includes multilingual doctors, international security experts, mental health specialists, infectious disease experts and nurses.
FocusPoint’s dedicated team of multilingual professionals are equipped with the expertise and resources necessary to orchestrate timely and efficient responses to emergencies encountered by travelers, adventurers, and workers in remote or challenging environments. Whether it’s a natural disaster, or security threat, FocusPoint is committed to ensuring swift and decisive action to mitigate risks and safeguard lives. Through seamless integration of cutting-edge technology and strategic partnerships, FocusPoint empowers individuals and organizations to venture into the world with confidence, knowing that reliable emergency assistance is just a call or click away.
Prior to our students beginning their international programs, all of our international staff are trained and become certified in first aid and CPR by the AHA. The AHA is a national leader in healthcare education, and the training programs developed by the AHA are supported by over 90 years of research. Since 1948, the AHA has funded the research of 13 Nobel Prize winning doctors and scientists. The first aid and CPR training prepares our staff to confidently and effectively respond to the health needs of our students while abroad.
Global Glimpse partners closely with the premier risk management consulting firm in the travel industry. Directed by industry leaders with more than 30 years of experience in domestic and international tour operations, Cornerstone’s risk management team supports Global Glimpse to design and implement best-in-industry participant health and safety support systems including but not limited to pre-trip health screening, international crisis response, staff training, program setup, and delivery, vendor vetting, student mental health, and medical advising. Cornerstones Safety Group’s team of on-call medical doctors, mental health experts, and industry-leading risk management advisors integrates into the Global Glimpse Health & Safety team to ensure our students are safe and supported at all times.
Emergency Response Plans
Our comprehensive emergency response plans identify known or foreseen risks and detail the protocols by which we prevent and/or respond to critical incidents or natural disasters. Each emergency response plan details the medical response, communication plan, and resource coordination to effectively and efficiently manage all manners of incidents that may occur on our programs abroad.
Global Glimpse’s experienced Health and Safety team works with international youth travel experts to design comprehensive Emergency Response Plans that detail every aspect of our organization’s response to a health or safety emergency on one of our international trips. Global Glimpse also directly manages all aspects of student and family communication during the Global Glimpse program. Parents have access to a 24/7 Global Glimpse emergency phone line while their student is abroad.
Example of an Emergency Response Plan Flowchart:
Health & Safety FAQS
- Our in-country teams are trained to respond to medical and mental health issues and in close contact with our Health & Safety Team will respond to any illness or injury with all resources available.
- We work with local clinics and hospitals that our in-country staff have vetted and evaluated.
- All of our program coordinators are First Aid/CPR certified and are trained to respond to emergencies.
- Every student has emergency evacuation insurance.
- We have an adult chaperone health coach who monitors the health of all participants.
- Student sickness does and injury can happen. They are exposed to new foods and new environments. We do everything in our power to ensure that student will not get sick, however, we are prepared when they do.
- We evaluate every aspect of our program through the lens of safety and risk management.
- Our students are highly supervised by trained staff and chaperones
- All of our in-country staff are First Aid/CPR certified and prepared to respond to any emergency that might arise both in rural and urban areas.
- We partner with leading risk management partners including medical and security evacuation providers, medical doctors, mental health advisors, and risk management specialists to continually improve are industry-leading risk management practices and responses. We invest heavily in resources and continual training to minimize risks for our students and staff.
- In each of our cities, we have direct relationships with private clinics familiar with adolescent medicine and who know our organization and our students.
- Every student who travels with us is enrolled in medical and emergency evacuation insurance.
- All of our food providers are trained to prepare high-quality food for foreigners.
- We monitor the political situation very closely through our global network of partners and our in-country staff members.
- We do everything in our power to ensure that our students stay healthy and safe. The strength of our program and our connections in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and the DR enable us to be prepared for emergencies.