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Session Evaluation ViewAttendees 20

Standards in Action Session

Program Development and Management

Beyond Icebreakers: How Inclusive Communities Can Mitigate Risks Abroad

Friday, March 21, 2025
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM US EST
Location: Birchwood Ballroom, Mezzanine level

    Session Leader(s)

  • Kate Berge

    Director of Risk Management, Health, Safety, and Security
    EF - Education First
    Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

    • Presenter(s)

  • Joshua Ull (he/him/his)

    Training and Development Manager
    EF Education First, United States

    Slides
On cohort-based study abroad programs, positive experiences rely on the prioritization of creating an inclusive community. This session focuses on how creating an inclusive community can mitigate health and safety risks via a pro-active approach to emotional well-being, conduct, and bystander behavior. Presenters explore methods of designing programs, training faculty/staff and facilitating orientation in ways that result in strong group dynamics, as well as student safety, learning, and growth.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the importance and impact of prioritizing positive group dynamics throughout the student’s Study Abroad journey. Inspired by Tuckman’s Model of Group Development, attendees will discover the critical partnership required between administrators, faculty, and on-site staff in setting a foundation for their student cohort’s communal development and learning outcome achievement.
  • Identify opportunities to integrate community-focused curricula. From orientation content to rethinking traditional ice breakers, attendees will collaborate on tangible, and often experiential, resources that maximize student engagement while mitigating some of the top risks that threaten student safety on program.
  • Commit to creating inclusive group dynamics for students of all backgrounds and past experiences. Attendees will explore the unique challenges minoritized/marginalized students face while studying abroad so they can outline organic methods for training staff and teaching students to embrace and leverage the cohort’s kaleidoscope of identities in an international context.