Parents provide advice to parents...

You love, provide guidance, education, and financial support for your child. You have tried to instill in them the values that will make their lives satisfying and productive. Now your child has expressed interest in living, studying and volunteering in a different culture, contributing their talent and energy to help make the lives of those in need a little easier.

You, as parents, play a vital support role for your student both before, during and after their experience abroad. There are many resources that can help you understand the many changes your students will go through and to help you support them. Students typically undergo distinct stages of adjustment both upon what we call "entry" to the new culture and "re-entry" back to their home culture. The information on the Idealist.org website will be helpful to you as well as the booklet, "Know Before You Go," which has been furnished to your student. 

Research shows that study abroad gives participants a broader understanding of career possibilities AND the confidence to pursue these career paths. Many students experience unintended benefits in terms of not only developing skills and shifting attitudes but also of opening career pathways and opportunities that had been either previously unknown or simply unconsidered.

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Student Safety & Security

• IPSL has a 24-hour emergency contact system that can be utilized in case of a student health or safety emergency.

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• Before departure, students are provided with health information about the program location with advice to consult the Centers for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov/) in order to find out what immunizations are recommended, if any.

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• Each IPSL program site has excellent nearby medical and mental health facilities and support available. 

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• All programs begin with a period of formal orientation. Students are taught practical skills like telephone, banking and public transportation information; how to remain healthy and safe; how to get health services and how to recognize cultural signs and customs. 

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We are happy to discuss your project! Please send an email to irb@ipsl.org to find out more.

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Communication: Helpful Hints

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Advice about communicating with your student while abroad is abundant. While IPSL does not presume to dictate the parent/child relationship, there are some guidelines to keep in mind to facilitate your child’s adjustment process to their new culture and living situation.

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• Aside from a quick check-in to let you know that they have arrived safely, it is best to limit communication for the first couple of weeks to help ease homesickness and speed acclimation.

• We highly discourage parents (or other) from visiting their child while on the program as it is best to allow your child to have their own, personal experience without parental presence.

• Parents (or other) are not allowed to accompany their child on an IPSL excursion, observe courses nor be present or participate in any of the official IPSL program components. In addition, it is not advisable to stay at the student’s homestay. 

We understand that parents may go through many changes as well during this process, but remember that this is your child’s experience. We encourage you to help them get the most out of it.

Click here for the IPSL Communication Guidelines

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Homestay Experience

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A key component of the IPSL student experience is the homestay. Most of our programs provide this unique opportunity. Living with a host family is part of the immersion experience and gives your child the opportunity to get to know what it’s like to be a part of the culture. 

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The benefits of living with a host family are enormous and our alums regularly tell us that this (along with their service) was the most impactful and enjoyable part of their IPSL program. The homestay offers students the opportunity to make life-long friends, reinforce language skills, and experience the culture from "the inside." 

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All IPSL host families are carefully selected and experienced with hosting students (in particular, North American Students).  Host families are vetted, go through an extensive screening and initial orientation process, participate in annual refresher orientations and are visited by the onsite homestay coordinator staff during the term(s) they are hosting. Many host families have been with IPSL for a number of years. In each program location, families have formed a network that supports one another and are guided and supported by the IPSL housing coordinator onsite.  Students are supported in the homestay experience by the housing staff as well as part of the orientation, where cultural and typical family norms are reviewed. 

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