HOW TO MAKE YOUR SCHOOL TRIPS MEANINGFUL AND INSPIRING
Your Guide to Creating an Immersive and Inspiring Travel Experience for your Students Hello! My name is Christopher Hill and I’m the CEO of Hands Up School Trips. We created this Guide to make your next school trip a meaningful and enriching experience, not just for your students but for your chosen destination. At Hands Up we’re passionate about the benefits for your students of remarkable travel experiences. So we’re committed to providing you with opportunities that offer so much more than your average school trip. We offer experiences for your students that blend learning, adventure and cultural immersion with fulfilling service opportunities. We believe that this impacts them like nothing else, enhancing their education and equipping them for life beyond graduation. So we’d like to invite you and your students to travel with us! Yours in Meaningful School Trips,
Christopher Hill CEO Hands Up School Trips
Introduction This Guide is a tool to enable School Trip planners to discover the benefits of an immersive School Trip with a range of engaging volunteering opportunities - from building projects to wildlife conservation. Combine the usual elements of a School Trip with the opportunity to invest in the lives of the people and the destination you’re visiting and your students can experience the far-reaching benefits of volunteering overseas. All in a safe environment. This Guide will provide you with some guidance on how to make your school trips meaningful and inspiring, from your first steps to the value of feedback. We hope this Guide informs and excites you as you consider booking your next trip with Hands Up.
A. Why volunteer on a School Trip? One of our schools recently visited a rural community in Rwanda, where Save the Children is actively caring for children affected by the genocidal warfare experienced there in 1994. Students worked alongside villagers as they performed their daily tasks. They were led by an expert Rwandan guide, visited the Genocide Museum in Kigali, played football with the villagers and built a new classroom in the school. They rated the trip as highly meaningful and life-changing and, with funds they had raised, the salary of an additional teacher was paid for giving the Rwandan students better access to education and thus improved job, health and family prospects.
Three Reasons Why Your Students Should Volunteer 1. Your students may have visited Machu Picchu, dived in the Great Barrier Reef or spotted the Big 5 on safari, but few have experienced first-hand the impact small acts of service can have on a local community. 2. On our trips your students join hands with local people to give back to the people and places they visit. They can transform the lives of disabled villagers, as one our schools did, through a building project in Bali or by providing better access to education for Rwandan schoolchildren. 3. BY volunteering on a trip with Hands-Up your students not only gain valuable lifeskills - developing their problem-solving and leadership abilities - but also experience what it means to become a more responsible global citizen preparing them for work in a competitive, challenging and diverse workplace, anywhere in the world. An immersive, volunteering experience can impact students far beyond their education, as well as better equipping them for college. Just as a short-term trip can have a long-term impact on a community, an experience like this can help a student consider a longer gap-year experience, in preparation for college. Students have the opportunity to gain
Meaningful insights into other cultures and ways of life; The value of teamwork and co-operation Develop first-hand appreciation of global issues, self-awareness and leadership skills. Earn service hours which can assist with college entry Form new friendships and strengthen existing ones as they build their global contact networks;
Deepen their social and interpersonal skills; Be more tolerant of other people and their cultures; Develop compassion and emotional intelligence - a key ingredient in life success; The satisfaction of having made a genuine difference to a community or to wildlife.
B. First Steps Preparation for an immersive School Trip starts early. These are some of the practicalities you might like to discuss with us as you consider your trip:
Identify Your Goals and Learning Objectives.
Your school is unique and has specific priorities and standards. We carry out a careful needs analysis to take the time to fully understand what your goals are for each trip. Consider what your priorities might be.
Timing
Allow sufficient time for planning the details of a trip, engaging students and parents in the process, and fundraising if necessary. Consider the best time of year for your students to travel, as well as the climate or conditions of your ideal travel destination.
Destination
Involve the students in the destination or type of project they’d like to be involved in. From our experience, student-led initiatives have a longer lasting impact because they are already invested in them and more likely to go above and beyond to make significant contributions. We can offer over 40 destinations for you to choose from and our goal is to provide the best, most immersive and life transforming experiences for your students.
Fundraising
Most School Trips are paid for by the students’ parents. We also offer schools an opportunity to fund-raise a portion of the trip costs. For example, the costs of building materials or local experts during the volunteering component. This engages students in the trip from an early stage and gives them a greater sense of investment right from the start.
Safety and Security
Student safety is paramount and we take every reasonable precaution to ensure that our trips are as safe as possible. We carry out risk assessments for each trip and constantly assess the security situation for each destination, keeping up-to-date with State Department and Foreign Office travel advice. See our sample Risk Assessment Form in the Appendix. It’s never too early to chat through with us what you’re thinking. We can provide you with a range of options from which you can choose and from there we can match your students with the best location and service opportunities.
C. Engaging Students, Parents and Other Key Stakeholders Student Preparation Students’ are at the center of the trip. It’s their opportunity to venture into the world, learn, have fun and make a difference. So getting them prepared and excited about the trip, as well as gathering their views and aspirations, is crucial. The more involved and invested they are, the more they’ll learn, and the more life transforming the trip will be for them. Preparing the students is perhaps the most demanding and time consuming phase, yet it's pivotal for the success of your trip. Here are some tips:
Introduce the trip at an early stage to bring it to the students’ attention.
Discuss the trip and how it relates to what they are learning in the classroom as part of the curriculum
Encourage students to find out as much as they can about the people and destination they’ll be visiting. The more they know about the destination, the more engaged your students will be.
Discuss the potential for fundraising beforehand and invite them to consider the benefits of volunteering during their trip.
Thoroughly explore and discuss expected behaviour and learning objectives. For example, you might require the students to produce a report after the trip, to increase their curiosity and encourage active participation
Parents and Other Stakeholders As important as students are, parents, school administrators and other staff members are vital to the success of a trip too. There are also essential elements that must be accomplished, such as visas, vaccinations, passport validity and travel insurance.
Obtain necessary approval from the school administration system, having discussed goals, safety, fundraising, and itinerary.
Once the details of the trip are agreed, arrange a Parent Meeting or other form of communication. Provide parents with all the details they might need, as well as an opportunity for questions
Discuss the itinerary and other safety concerns with parents and obtain written parental permission
Arrange for any vaccinations that are recommended for your chosen destination (Hands Up Schools can advise on this)
Complete medical permission, allergy disclosure, dietary requirements
Arrange travel insurance (Hands Up Schools can assist with this)
Ensure passports have at least 6 months’ validity from after the end of the trip, and in some destinations, there are at least two blank pages
Arrange visas in advance if required by the destination (Hands Up Schools can advise on this)
Preparing Yourself You also need to prepare yourself for the trip. Ensure you have key emergency contacts and medical information about the students. Be in contact with your travel arranger during this phase to see how best they can assist you with various aspects of the trip and expedite preparations.
D. After the Trip Once the trip is over, it’s a great time to reflect with your students on their experiences and capture the memories they’ve made. Encourage them to share experiences through written reports, presentations and even on social media. Curating the best moments can provide a record for students, parents and the school which will be informative and engaging for years to come. Equally, it is important for you and your students to get feedback from the community you visited. We can arrange regular updates from them, including photos and videos, so you can continue to see the sustained impact your visit made. For a case study of how other schools have made their educational trip noteworthy, please visit handsupschooltrips.com/case-studies/
Next steps Get in Touch Contact us for your free, no obligation School Trip proposal. The proposal will:
Assess your educational requirements for the trip
Identify how we can provide the most tailor-made experience
Discover how your students can impact a local community and experience life-changing opportunities for themselves Visit Hands Up School Trips website (www.handsupschooltrips.com) Call one of our expert advisors on: USA: 201 984 5372 UK: +44 (0)207 193 1062 On behalf of Hands Up School Trips, thanks again. We hope to have the opportunity to inspire you soon.
Appendix - Sample Risk assessment
Pre-trip:
Preexisting medical conditions
Risk
Assessment
Visas
Low
Valid Passport
Low
State Dept or FCO advice
Various
Travel insurance
Low
Allergies
Low if declared by client
Control Measures Check that client has valid visa(s); offer to arrange it Check that client has valid passport that meets the destinations requirements, such as 2 blank pages Monitor State Dept and FCO advice for all destinations we offer act accordingly based on new advice Check that client has travel insurance; offer to arrange it
Actions if Incident Liaise with relevant authorities
Declaration on participant’s information sheet to ensure Tour Leader and guides know of participant’s allergies, food or medications. All team members to bring own medications for serious known allergies and ensure Leader and guides know how to use (eg Epipen, heart
First-aid and/or hospitalisati on as appropriate.
Liaise with relevant authorities
Cancel or modify trip if necessary
Prevent client from traveling if they do not have insurance, or sign a waiver that they bear all risks
medications, etc).
Bites/Sting s
Dietary requirements Medications Heart and other
Low if declared
As above
As above
Low if declared Depends
As above As above
As above As above
Diseases & vaccination
N/A – consult with www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/ho me.aspx especially for malaria
Clients to consult GP concerning all travel-health related issues at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
Ensure client is told to visit GP if they feel ill on return explaining where they have been.
Snakes
Depends on destination
Stick to paths. Be observant and noisy – snakes will almost always get out of your way. Don’t go out in the dark without a torch. Don’t put fingers in holes or under rocks/logs
Immediate first aid and/or hospitalisati on.
Mammals
Depends on destination
Warn clients to keep away from mam-mals and don’t be tempted to play with them. Bites from cats, dogs, monkeys, etc. are all potentially very serious matters.
Immediate first aid and/or hospitalisati on.
Mosquitosmalaria and dengue
Depends on season (high in rainy season, low in dry seaon)
Use repellent & keep covered up with longsleeved clothing. Take malaria medication only on advice of family medical practitioner and be aware of possible sideeffects and ineffectiveness for dengue fever.
Scorpions / Insects / Bees
Medium risk of minor stings / bites
Don’t put hands or fingers in holes. Be careful when picking up rocks or handling wood, and check boots before putting on.
Food
Low
Our
Water
Low
Local partners inspect all restaurants and cooking areas to ensure hygienic cooking conditions, all fruit/vegetables are peeled and cooked properly, all utensils and bowls/plates thoroughly cleaned. Guides observe group to ensure all eating adequate food and cater for any food allergies, and dietary requirements.
Our
guides ensure all water is treated or bottled. Guides observe group to ensure enough water is being drunk.
From no action to first-aid to hospitalisati on depending on nature of bite. Seek local advice as appropriate.
Monitor througho ut tour. In the event of upset tummie s/ nausea initially water / electrolytes and rest for up to 48 hours. Avoid Imodium or similar unless embarkin g on longdistance travel. If situation not rectified in 48 hours then referral to health centre or hospital. In the event of heat exhaustio n& dehydrati on plenty of rest and fluids. Hospitalisat ion in
serious cases.
General Travel
Daily checks
Low Guides have a first aid kit close to hand and inform team members of its location. Guides check participants wear appropriate socks and shoes. Guides check weather report before departure. Guides advise participants to bring appropriate clothing. Guides ensure everyone has sunscreen, hat, and wear protective clothing.
Guides ensure all other participants are together and listen to briefing
During activities
Low/Medium
Participants asked to be alert to changes in behaviour: fatigue, lack of energy, headaches, dizziness, not visiting the toilet, little sweat, stomach cramps, inability to use the toilet.
Immediate first aid and/or hospitalisati on.
Lost person
Low
Travel in groups, and with guide. Obey route instructions. Take contact phone numbers of guides and accommodation
Guides ensure all other participants are together with supervi-sion before going to look for
Heat exhaustion and dehydratio n
address and number.
missing person.
Pickpocketing
Low/medium
Warn not to wear jewellery or show obvious signs of wealth. Take out only the money you need, and split between pockets and moneybelts. Do not get large amounts of money out when paying for items. Be aware while in crowds or on transport.
Report loss of passports or other items of value to police and get a report for insurance.
Traffic
Low/medium
Warn to watch out for bicycles, animals and cars that may not follow the same 'rules of the road' as home country.
Report incident to police as appropriate
Being approached by the wrong people
Low
Go out with others.
Report incident to police as appropriate
Theft
Low
Recommend strict care of personal belongings. Use safety deposit boxes for valuables at hotel
Report incident to police as appropriate
Medium/high depending on destination
Guides monitor group to ensure everyone has sunscreen, hat, and wear protective clothing.
In the event of heat exhaustio n& dehydrati on plenty of rest and fluids. Hospitalisat ion in
Guides recommend clients to be wary of those offering 'good deals' or some 'special' services.
Clients
asked to be alert to changes in
behaviour: fatigue, lack of energy, headaches, dizziness, not visiting the toilet, little sweat, stomach cramps, inability to use the toilet.
serious cases.
Hotel Accommoda tion Dangers
Low
Listen to guides briefings to 1) keep rooms locked at all times. 2) know where fire escape is.
Report incident to police as appropriate
Vehicular travel
Low
Local partners
Report incident to police as appropriate.
Cultural issues
uses only fully licensed and properly maintained vehicles in accordance with local laws & transportation regulations
Medical attention as appropriat e.
Culture shock
Low
Briefing by guides as to what to expect in tour orientation.
Guides to
Local traditions/cust oms
Low
Briefing by guides as to what to expect in tour orientation on clothing, language/sweari ng, physical contact and eating.
Guides to
Alcohol and drugs
Low
Adults follow responsible use of alcohol. Strictly no illegal drugs are allowed
Guides to
monitor individuals and address concerns as they come up.
monitor individuals and address concerns as they come up.
monitor individuals and address concerns as they come up.
Swimming
In pools or sea
Medium/high
Always stay close and within sight of group members. Wear safety gear as provided. Get out of the water if you feel cold, get cramps or feel sick. Do not drink the water. Behave and play responsibly. Be mindful of others and weather conditions.
Immediate first aid and/or hospitalisati on
Force Majeure
Political unrest, natural disasters (flooding, landslides etc.)
Low
Guides consult news & weather reports before departure in consultation with local office.
In consultation with local office, overseas agent, guides will evacuate participants under the supervision of local government and police. During evacuation we will communicat e with local partner