How to help students prepare for their own safety while abroad
How do you get students to prepare for their own safety abroad? This is not always the most thrilling or interesting subject, but it is fundamental to a good exchange experience. Together with Campus Service, the International Education office has made a film that aims to catch the fleeting eye of the students and make them consider their own safety when going abroad.
The purpose of this film, is to make students pay attention to their own safety when traveling abroad. The film plants a seed in the students’ mind telling them that they need to consider how they can stay safe during their time abroad. Students will see the film online when they search for information about exchange possibilities on their UCPH study information pages.
After watching the film, the students will find a checklist with specific advice in relation to planning their trip, safety measures, insurance, relevant contact information and the importance of understanding the culture they are going to live in. When making the film, it was our aim to strike a balance between reminding the students to take their safety very seriously and not scaring them.
A film and a checklist about safety will of course not keep everyone safe, but it might help the students to make conscious choices about their own safety.
It is important to remember that safety is not only about health insurance and cellphone coverage. The film also touches on themes like culture shock and mental health. We cannot fix these issues for our students, but we can help by creating awareness of them.
In the end, we know that an exchange experience is unique and that we cannot predict the future, but we can do our best to help our students along the way.
By Simone Hauskov & Anne Bruun