Identity-based Health & Safety Questions Answered
Oct 25, 2022
Students from under-estimated backgrounds* embarking on a study abroad program have to face the many challenges of adjusting to a new cultural environment while also navigating how their race, ethnicity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, faith and disabilities will impact their experience.
It is not only their academic success at risk, here. Without guidance and preparation that answers the needs and concerns of their unique identities and explains how their identities are perceived in their destination’s culture, their personal safety and mental well-being will not get the attention and support that they deserve.
Health & Safety Concerns for Diverse Students
In our post about the 10 Key Health & Safety Concerns for International Offices, we discussed the main elements that make up Health and Safety for study abroad programs. This time we want to highlight how those elements that make up Health and Safety guidance can be inclusive and supportive of all identities.
These questions may sound very specific and may be difficult to answer without specialist knowledge of a country’s culture and society. However, answering them in a clear and practical way is all the more important to ensure that students from diverse backgrounds feel safe before and during their experience abroad.
CulturaGo’s cultural preparation courses are here to help you answer these questions.
Answers to Identity-based Health & Safety Concerns with CulturaGo
Q: Can I safely walk alone as a woman or gender non-conforming person?
Q: Can I be open about my gender or sexual identity with my doctor?
Q: Who can I turn to in case of gender-based abuse?
Q: Are my symptoms likely to be dismissed by medical staff because of my race?
With a growing body of Health and Safety information, the identity-based modules included in each of CulturaGo’s cultural preparation courses are designed to inform, assist and support the Health and Safety of students from underestimated backgrounds. This way, they will be ready not only to seize the amazing opportunities that arise during their journey, but also overcome the challenges they may face in light of their unique identities.
Our Health and Safety guidance is ever-expanding to provide students with the best advice on how to thrive while studying abroad. As a part of our identity-based module framework and still to be developed, we will soon cover Health and Safety for religious minorities, people living with disabilities, asylum-seekers and refugees.
Identity-based Health & Safety with CulturaGo
Partner with CulturaGo to further support your students from under-estimated backgrounds with an ever-growing wealth of country-specific Health and Safety guidance that is practical, reliable and speaks to the needs and concerns of their unique identities.
Keep learning, keep safe.
*R, Tulshyan. (2022). Inclusion on Purpose. An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.
