2. MAJOR CRISES

a. Emergency response

Our guidelines are developed to protect the safety and well-being of all program participants as well as protect ourselves and our partners. We will utilize participant’s statements of events, home university/school the local overseas Embassy or consulate, local authorities etc. as resources to identify the issue and accurately assess the situation. All of the in-China emergency contact information will be provided to participants and staff prior to departure. Participants are instructed to keep their emergency card on them at all times.

We will not respond based on rumors. All information is verified with more than one source (if available).

For any major crises, the following will be considered and reported to the Crisis Management Team:

• 1. The health and safety of p r o g r a m participant(s)
• 2. The geographic proximity of the program to the crisis
• 3. The impact of the crisis and the quality of life (availability of food, potable water, medical supplies, the protection of law and order).
• 4. The target of or basis to the unrest (and if the crises is politically related)
• 5. The intensity of police and / or military presence in the area of the program
• 6. The continuance of the program

This information will in turn be communicated to designated University staff overseas, as soon as feasible.

b. In­China Crisis Assessment and Response

Our Site Director or On-Site Program Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all emergency situations. We are committed to offering the necessary resources to its staff, participants, parents, International Office staff and University Faculty as they relate to in-China emergency contacts and support services, travel and medical insurance, country-specific information, and additional web resources.

The following are listed in order of importance and we will act accordingly in any crisis situation;

• (1) Account for health and safety of program participants
• (2) Determine the scope of the crisis by liaising with local authorities
• (3) Determine the ability of the continuance of the program

• 1. Account for health and safety of program participants

  (1) We will contact and account for all tour participants. If the participants are at the program site or at their accommodation location, and both are safe from the crisis, all staff and participants will be instructed to remain there until their safety outside of these locations can be certain. If a participant or staff person is not in a safe location, they will be assisted appropriately, in consideration that no other participant, staff or Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will be endangered to do so, in finding the nearest safe location.

  (2) Participants who are unaccounted for: Using all means possible, including local in-country emergency response services, a search for missing participants will be conducted – this should include communication with and assistance from the participant’s friends, roommates, host family, or landlord / designated staff from accommodations. For notification of local authorities if a participant is not found, see Missing Participant under ‘Individual Crises’. For Injured participants – see Life Threatening Accidents or Illnesses under ‘Individual Crises’.The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will report on all of the above as soon as possible, using our emergency telephone number(s).

• 2. Determine the scope of the crisis by liaising with local authorities

  We will contact the local Embassy, local authorities (police, fire, military), local government, and/or International Red Cross or other disaster agencies. We will decide if the proximity of the disaster is endangering participants. If it is, we will execute the Evacuation Plan and move endangered participants to a safe place. We will determine if there are any quality of life issues (availability of food, potable water, medical supplies, the protection of law and order) and make an assessment if the location is unfit for participants to remain in the area. If this is the case, see Evacuation Plan. In all cases above, we will be informed ongoing, as soon as possible, by the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator on all of the above. The Executive Director, or person assigned by Executive Director will then, as soon as practical, keep appropriate University staff appraised on any situation or crises.

• 3. Determine the ability of the continuance of the program
• Utilize the information collected from the above-listed sources and considering the scope of the crisis, we will formulate a position on whether to continue, suspend or cancel the program.
• b. Liaise with other overseas programs located in the area to get feedback from their administrators as well.
• c. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will report developments back to the home office as soon as possible, and on a continuous basis.
• 4. The target of or basis to the unrest (and if the crises is politically related)
• 5. The intensity of police and / or military presence in the area of the program
• 6. The continuance of the program

This information will in turn be communicated to designated University staff overseas, as soon as feasible.

c. Headquarters and Home University Crisis Response

The following are listed in order of importance and protocol and should be taken care of in this order (by ourselves and the the Site Director/Onsite Program Coordinator) when possible.

• 1. Communicate with Crisis Response Team immediately and begin constant communication with this group until crisis is dealt with.
• 2. Communicate participant's welfare to emergency contacts within 24 hours.
• 3. Phone calls and emails will be used to communicate this information. If participant is injured or dead, see section on individual Crises.
• 4. Our headquarters office will communicate participant's welfare to the Home University within 24 hours.
• 5. Phone calls AND emails will be used to communicate this information. If participant is injured or dead, see section on Individual Crises.
• 6. Liaise with overseas authorities and study abroad field to determine overseas response toward crisis. Facilitate contact with Department of State and other pertinent government agencies.
• 7. We will make a decision on program continuance, suspension or cancellation based upon in-country feedback and assessment of the situation in coordination with Home University/School.

d.Continuance of program

• 1. If the decision is made to continue the program, following an in-country crisis, participants will be notified of this immediately via the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator and/or our Headquarters Office. Additionally, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will meet with each participant individually to determine if he/she is mentally/emotionally prepared and able to continue with the program. If there are any questions about the participant’s mental stability, this will be considered by the Crises Management Team and participant's university/school. We will try and determine if the participant needs or would like professional medical and/or psychological help.
• 2. We will notify emergency contacts of the decision and answer any questions the participant might have.
• 3. We will coordinate with the Home University/School over the decision.

e. Suspension of program

• 1. If the decision is made to suspend the program, we, in conjunction with the university/school, will determine the length of time the program is suspended, considering its impact on the learning environment for the participants. If the suspension of the program is more than three days, activities will be planned for the participants.
• 2. We will notify the university/school and emergency contacts of the decision and answer
• 3. We will notify host families or accommodation as participants may be required to stay inside as much as possible during the suspension.

f. Cancellation of the program

Cancellation or suspension of any program may result if;

• 1. The Chinese government or overseas Department of State issues a travel warning advising citizens to leave the particular location/region, city, country where the program is based. This will be associated with a high risk situation i.e. political tension, terrorism, natural disaster.
• We deem it necessary to cancel or suspend the program for any other reason, i.e., the safety and welfare of the participants are in jeopardy.

In the event of a program being cancelled or suspended;

1. Participants will be brought to a secure location and notified immediately of the program cancellation and the procedures for evacuating the country.

2. We will notify emergency contacts of the decision and answer any questions they might have.

3. We will notify the Home University/School, update them on the situation and agree on suitable course of action.

4. If departing via plane, we will work with home universities/schools to make flight arrangements (change ticket dates) out of China. If departing via other transportation (to a safer location) before departing the region, we will determine the best mode and book tickets for group departure.

5. Notify the overseas institutions of the decision, and work with them to enrol participants in classes upon return, if possible.

6. We will notify any local partners, institutions or organizations as needed.

g. Evacuation

We follow the Peace Corp model for managing evacuations which uses a three stage model based upon the standard established by the local Embassy.

• • Stage 1 – Stand-fast: participants will be notified to stay in the location they are in, provided it is safe, and await further instruction from the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator.
• • Stage 2 – Consolidate: Participants will go to an arranged safe haven to prepare for evacuating the location.
• • Stage 3 – Evacuation: Participants will leave as a group for a safe location.

The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will as part of the on-site orientation inform participants of the location(s) the group will meet should a disaster occur while the group is together or dispersed.

The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will make sure the entire group is in a secure location and will not allow anyone to leave the secure location for any reason.

If possible, the Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will take the group to the nearest Embassy or Consulate. The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will contact the Embassy and the Crisis Management Team immediately so they can begin to arrange the ground and air logistics of the evacuation.

The Site Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will ensure all participants physically board the ground or air transportation. When in a secure environment, the Director/On-Site Program Coordinator will meet with Crises Management Team to discuss a debrief meeting and/or press release – in coordination with the Home University/School.

h. Post Crisis Follow up ­ Reporting and Evaluation

After the crisis has been quelled and/or participants have been evacuated, we make it a priority to follow up with each participant individually to determine his/her mental state – in coordination with any professional staff from the participant’s home university/school. If necessary, referral to a licensed psychologist or other medical professional might be necessary. If a participant is back in their home country and we identify a situation that a participant may need further professional medical assistance, will engage the home University for advice.

The Crises Management Team shall prepare an unbiased report evaluating the performance of all personnel during the crisis. This report will take into account interviews with witnesses to the crisis, participants and staff affected, and photographs (if available). This report will be shared with pertinent persons as determined by the Crisis Response Team.