4 Ways to Support Your Teen While They鈥檙e Studying Abroad
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Study abroad is a transformative experience for teens, but it can also be one for their parents and guardians!
High school summer abroad programs offer you an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and allow your teen to flourish miles away from home.
Before their summer abroad, you may feel a bit anxious, especially if this is the first time your teen is taking a trip on their own.
To ease any worries and help support your teen鈥檚 academic and personal growth on program, we recommend the following:
1. Create a Communication Plan With Your Teen
日博体育 high school summer programs for teens will include a variety of activities designed to immerse participants in a language or academic topic abroad.
Throughout the day, your teen will experience a daily schedule filled with interactive lessons, workshops, cultural activities, excursions, and interactions with locals (which may include a host family).
It will likely be difficult for your teen to be in touch with you every day!
Before your teen goes abroad, be sure to establish:
- How you will communicate: Participants on 日博体育 high school summer abroad programs usually communicate using messaging apps but many also use email or phone calls.
- At what time you will communicate: There may be a time difference of several hours between your hometown and your teen鈥檚 study abroad location. Even if your teen is awake at night, it will disturb their host family or roommate to hear late night calls. Choose a time that works best for both (which is usually on the weekends)!
- How often you will communicate: 日博体育 recommends participants and their parents/guardians communicate only once or twice a week. This allows participants to be fully engaged and immersed in their program.
2. Encourage Your Teen to Work With Their Local Support System When Needing Help
During their program, participants will have a local support system that includes:
- 日博体育 Program Leaders
- Local 日博体育 staff (including class instructors, on-site program coordinators, and center directors.)
- Host families (a core component of certain high school summer abroad programs, such as Language & Culture programs.)
- Global Navigator cohort
Participants will have access to their 日博体育 Program Leaders and local 日博体育 staff 24/7 during program.
| Whenever your teen has an issue or needs anything, empower them to FIRST contact their Program Leaders and 日博体育 local staff before coming to you for help. |
This helps participants learn how to advocate for themselves and problem-solve with the people who can assist them quicker and more effectively.
3. Understand Whom to Contact When You Have Questions or Concerns
You may have concerns that arise while your teen is away. If this happens, contacting your teen or attempting to reach the Local 日博体育 staff abroad may be difficult due to time differences and logistics.
Your teen will be busy engaged in program activities and Local 日博体育 staff will be focused on supporting participants, making it harder for you to get an effective response in a timely manner.
| When you have a concern, please avoid contacting your teen or attempting to reach the Local 日博体育 staff abroad. Instead, contact the 日博体育 U.S.-Based Global Navigator Team by email at hsabroad@ciee.org or by phone at 1-866-583-0332. |
The 日博体育 U.S.-Based Global Navigator team work closely with 日博体育 staff abroad and will be able to provide you with answers and resources to help you with your questions.
Please note: As we work on getting you an update while your teen is on program, there may be a delay since our various teams have to communicate across time zones.
4. Know Where to Find 日博体育 On-Program Updates
There are a couple ways that 日博体育 will keep you informed about what鈥檚 happening on your teen鈥檚 program.
- Weekly Newsletters: Local 日博体育 staff will send out a weekly email newsletter (usually on Thursdays or Fridays). These newsletters give you a chance to follow along what your teen is learning and the activities they are doing as a group.
- Program Blogs: 日博体育 Program Leaders write short blogs that describe specific activities happening during your teen鈥檚 program. You can search for your teen鈥檚 high school summer abroad program blog and bookmark it!
- Social Media: To keep up with what's happening on your teen鈥檚 program, follow your teen鈥檚 destination on Instagram. For general updates on 日博体育 high school summer abroad Global Navigator programs, follow @cieeglobalnavigators on and .
Will you be able to see images of your teen featured on all On-Program Updates?
You may not always see images of your teen featured on 日博体育鈥檚 weekly email newsletters or social media posts. Given the large number of participants on program, it can be difficult to feature each individual participant. However, all of our updates will give you a good sense of what鈥檚 happening on program and what activities were a hit with participants!
What if your teen has an issue or an emergency abroad?
You can expect to hear from local 日博体育 staff directly if your teen experiences one of the following:
- A significant medical event
- A significant health or safety event
- A severe mental health concern or one that could impact your teen鈥檚 ability to remain on program
- A significant housing concern or changes in housing
- Accountability measures or conversations regarding your teen鈥檚 behavior (and how it aligns with the program rules)
You will receive these communications by email or phone call.
Bonus: Trust the Process!
Remind yourself that high school summer abroad aims to help your teen embrace their independence and grow into a more mature young adult.
By establishing your communication plan, empowering them to advocate for themselves with their local support system, and understanding whom you can turn to when you have concerns, both you and your teen will have more peace of mind throughout the program鈥攍eading to a more positive experience!
For more step-by-step information, read our What to Expect guide to supporting your teen on a high school summer abroad program.