In this first blog post of the March 2024 travel season, David Miller, the Director of Deerfield’s Center for Service and Global Citizenship (CSGC), shares some reflections on the practice and purpose of the word “prepare” in the context of Deerfield’s mission and the CSGC’s travel programs.
In the Center for Service and Global Citizenship we spend a lot of time thinking about the last line of Deerfield Academy’s mission statement: “A vibrant, ethical community that embraces diversity, the Academy prepares students for leadership in a rapidly changing world that requires global understanding, environmental stewardship, and dedication to service.” It was this sentence of the Academy’s mission that led to the creation of the CSGC almost a decade ago, and it serves as central charge in all elements of our program design, planning, and work with students in a variety of contexts. While we often reference the ways in which the CSGC brings together the three pillars of “global understanding, environmental stewardship, and a dedication to service,” perhaps the most important word in that whole sentence is “prepares.” In both the practices of our office and in the purpose of our programming, our commitment to preparation is steadfast.
The Oxford English Dictionary’s first definition of the meaning of the word “prepare” is: “1.a To bring into a suitable condition for some future action or purpose; to make ready in advance; to fit out, equip.”[1]
For many months in the CSGC, we have been working to bring each detail of every trip to a “suitable condition” to ensure that risks are appropriately managed, educational impact is maximized, and that Deerfield’s curriculum and core values are integrated into all aspects of the trip. In a note I wrote to families last month in response to questions about the risk profile of a particular itinerary, I shared the following thoughts on our multipronged approach to resiliency and risk management with international travel programs:
In the Center for Service and Global Citizenship, we are dedicated to developing high-impact learning experiences for our students that challenge them to grow and develop as global citizens, and at the same time we are deeply committed to a multipronged and meticulously planned approach to risk management. From the moment a trip is proposed to the moment students return home, careful attention to risk management is a priority for all of our travel programs. The responsibility to take other people’s children abroad is not a responsibility that we take lightly, and we are grateful for and humbled by the trust that families put in our team. We work hard to comprehensively identify and analyze a diverse set of potential risks, strategically minimize or mitigate those risks, and proactively put plans and resources in place for a wide range of situations even if they are unlikely to arise. From traveler’s diarrhea to tropical storms, from transportation safety to hotel security, and from petty crime to political unrest, the range of risks involved in international travel is dynamic and diverse. For every trip, we conduct a detailed itinerary review with International SOS, a leading health and security risk management and travel assistance provider. In these reviews we look at any specific medical risks and identify medical resources for our planned itinerary, we receive an itinerary-specific security assessment, and we are provided with customized advice that we use to develop trainings for both students and trip leaders. International SOS is available 24 hours a day before and during all of our travel programs to provide medical or security advice or assistance as needed, and over the years, they have been an excellent partner for Deerfield as we travel around the world with our students. In addition to International SOS, we also consult with in-country partners, review guidance from the US State Department and CDC, and leverage a wide range of resources available to us due to the breadth, depth, and expertise of the Deerfield Academy community around the world. Using this information, we consult with colleagues in the Chen Health and Wellness Center who have specialized training in Travel Medicine along with members of our senior administration to make plans for how to proceed responsibly with a high-impact and student-centered program and an intentional and thorough approach to risk management. The past four years have been some of the most dynamic and challenging years in the field of global education, and while we have had to master the art of pivoting, we also strive to design experiences that are resilient. Most importantly, we continue to see the positive impact that meaningful travel experiences can have on Deerfield students.
In short, when it comes to managing risk and adding value to the student experience, we work hard to “make ready in advance”[2] and “fit out [and] equip”[3] our students and faculty leaders with the tools to make the trip resilient and meaningful.
The second definition of “prepare” in the Oxford English Dictionary is: “1.b To bring into a state of mental or spiritual readiness; to incline or dispose beforehand; to make mentally ready or fit for something.”[4]
As the Winter term comes to a close this week, we are excited to spend time with students on campus focused on this second type of preparation. While we scatter a few pre-trip meetings throughout the term and encourage students to start doing background research on the locations they will travel to and the themes they will explore, we are fully aware of how all-consuming life can be while school is in session. This upcoming weekend, we are looking forward to creating a pause where students can catch their breaths, connect with the students with whom they will be traveling, and spend some time on focused research and learning related to their trip specifically and global citizenship more broadly. While this time on campus facilitated by members of the CSGC team will allow for a little rest and reflection (as well as perhaps some final moments of packing), it is most importantly designed to give students the time, space, and structure to “bring [themselves] into a state of mental… readiness”[5] for the journey ahead.
While a little farther down the list of meanings of the word “prepare” provided by the Oxford English Dictionary, I am particularly drawn to definition 6.a: “To produce, form, or make, esp. by bringing together ingredients or components; to manufacture; to synthesize, concoct, compound.”[6] While we focus on planning high-impact itineraries, proactively managing risk, and developing mental readiness for all involved, in the end, the magic of our programs happens when students and faculty leaders step off-campus and “synthesize, concoct, [and] compound”[7] the many ingredients that go into a CSGC travel program. All of this is in service of the goal making transformative experiences where students can indeed live out every element of that last line of Deerfield’s mission: “A vibrant, ethical community that embraces diversity, the Academy prepares students for leadership in a rapidly changing world that requires global understanding, environmental stewardship, and dedication to service.”
In closing, I will note that Deerfield’s mission statement does not state that the Academy “strives to prepare” but rather it makes a firm commitment that the Academy indeed “prepares students for leadership in a rapidly changing world.” With about a third of all DA students participating in CSGC travel programs this year, we are grateful to play a part in ensuring that Deerfield students are indeed prepared for a rapidly changing world, and we can’t wait to see what all of our March travelers prepare together.
[1] Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “prepare (v.), sense 1.a,” September 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1373206847.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “prepare (v.), sense 1.b,” September 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7409399142.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “prepare (v.), sense 6.a,” September 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7198265979.
[7] Ibid.
