For Parents
We recognize that the decision to send your adult child on a year-long international leadership program is not an easy one, nor is the decision to send them to a two-week sleepaway camp.
As parents, you want to ensure your child will be safe, happy and challenged productively. This page outlines what your student's experience will be like and the steps we take to maintain their health, safety, and growth.
On the whole, we give our adult students the space required to be adults and do not act as surrogate parents for them, though we do have the resources required to deal with medical, psychological, and emotional problems. Our adult students have the same safety structures in place as we have for ourselves and our employees, and we have tools & processes in place to avoid dangerous situations.
In our summer camp experience, the minors in residence have much stronger guidelines and guardrails in place to ensure they receive the care they need to safely explore and be challenged.
Ask Questions about Health & Safety
Share your email and your question in the form, and Futures Forge will reach out to you with answers and an invitation to have a discussion about how we handle logistics, health, and safety.
Student Experience
Foundational Leadership Course (one-year adult program)
Futures Forge treats students as responsible young adults, not children. They manage their own time, direct their learning, and take ownership of their growth. Facilitators provide objectives, structure, coaching, and feedback, but students drive their progress. Your student will rapidly gain skills like time management, project planning, public speaking, and collaborating in diverse teams. They will draft a life plan based on their values, and align their academics and activities towards meaningful goals. Travel builds resilience as students live in Argentina and Vietnam after Costa Rica. Your student will return more mature, focused, and prepared for college and career success.
Skills for Success Course (Two-Week Summer Camp)
High school students at the Skills for Success summer camp course live in residence on a college campus with facilitators/counsellors. During this intense two-week period, students take on a variety of challenges and receive directed coaching and feedback from facilitators and other students.
Campus residency allows us to take advantage of the structures already in place (culinary, medical, security, etc) to provide a safe learning environment for students to focus on social connections, personal growth, and the pursuit of new learning.
Health and Safety
Futures Forge only travels to countries with a Level 1 or 2 State Department advisory (Costa Rica is Level 2; Vietnam and Argentina are Level 1). We monitor advisories closely and liaise with in-country partners to ensure. Students submit health history and emergency contact forms beforehand.
Facilitators are certified in first aid and mental health first aid. Students have international health insurance. We have strict policies regarding drugs, alcohol, and driving. Facilitators receive extensive training to support students' wellbeing in all ways.
Health & Safety Plans
As part of tuition, the following health & safety plans are included:
Medical insurance that covers ambulance trips, emergency care, and urgent care visits in every country we visit with no deductible and no out-of-network clinics, hospitals, or doctors.
Safeture, an app that ensures students are not near dangerous or likely-dangerous areas and turns students away from risky areas. Facilitators use Safeture to know whether students are at risk at all times.
Mindhamok, a 24/7/365 mental health service for both regular mental health treatment and crisis treatment.
Logistics - Foundational Leadership Course
Students live in shared homes with their 36-person Section overseas. These shared homes (hostels, guest houses, etc) have catered meals (and cooking options), identity-based access security to the facility and locks on individual rooms.
Facilitators live with students and are available 24/7 for any needs.
Travel from living facilities to other locations is conducted by reputable local transportation companies, used and recommended by accredited student overseas experience organizations.
The locations and contact information of all locations, facilitators, and other responsible adults is shared with parents when their student is enrolled.