Welcome

Welcome to the World Endeavors resource page for parents, and congratulations! Your son or daughter is about to embark on a life-changing experience abroad. Going abroad is a great way for your child to learn a new culture and gain a more global worldview, as well as to boost their language skills and resume. This resource guide is intended to answer some common questions that parents have about World Endeavors programs, values, and support services, as well as about health and safety while your son or daughter is abroad.

World Endeavors program advisors are always happy to speak with parents to answer any questions that might come up during the program selection and application processes. Please feel free to contact one of our advisors at 1-612-729-3400 or at info@worldendeavors.com.

About World Endeavors

World Endeavors founder Tom Peden started World Endeavors in 2002 with the goal of offering a more culturally immersive, personalized experience for international interns, students, and volunteers. World Endeavors opened its doors with just one volunteer program in Nepal, and soon expanded its uniquely immersive model to include programs in several other countries. Over the years, Tom’s efforts have been joined by a growing team of other passionate explorers, all working hard to make World Endeavors into a company that provides personalized, meaningful experiences abroad for all of its participants. Today World Endeavors offers international intern, study, volunteer, and group programs in over twenty countries on six continents, with new programs being added every year.

Health and Safety

The health and safety of our participants is our number one concern, and it is the guiding consideration during our program development process. During our pre-departure preparation and orientation process, we share health and safety information with our participants, and our in-country orientation process also focuses on these topics and on how to respond in case of emergency. By taking common sense precautions, our participants can feel comfortable in their new surroundings and focus on the life-changing experience they have gone abroad to have.

It is important to note that there are risks inherent in any activity, whether at home or abroad. We strongly encourage parents to talk with their children and with World Endeavors staff about general safety precautions to take while abroad, as well as about how to respond in the unlikely event of an emergency. World Endeavors advisors are experienced travelers themselves, and are available to speak with you and your son or daughter about their chosen destination.

Housing

One of the first questions many participants ask us when applying for a program is where they will live. Arranging housing abroad on your own can be a stressful process, which is why World Endeavors coordinates housing for all of our participants! Several factors are weighed in selecting the best housing for our participants. First and foremost, we want to ensure that the housing is safe, clean, and appropriate. We also want our participants’ housing to be convenient and in line with our values of cultural immersion and community integration.

Specific housing arrangements vary depending on the type of program and the country. Options include homestay accommodations, shared apartments, dormitories, and onsite project housing. Please refer to the specific webpage for your program for more information, or contact a World Endeavors advisor to learn more about housing in your son our daughter’s chosen location.

Academic Credit

Study Abroad Programs

Many students who study abroad through World Endeavors hope to earn academic credit towards their degree at their home university, and our advisors work with students and their universities to ensure that the credit transfer process goes smoothly. Our study abroad programs are located at universities that are accredited in their country, and your student’s transcript will be issued either by their host university abroad or by Jacksonville University, the school of record for several of our study abroad programs. Please consult the specific program page for your son or daughter’s program of interest for more information, or contact a World Endeavors advisor.

Internship Programs

A growing number of students are seeking to earn academic credit for an internship experience abroad.  World Endeavors advisors can work with students and their advisors to ensure that their internship placement fulfills their home university’s requirements for internship credit. These requirements may be a certain number of contact hours, periodic supervisor evaluations, regular journal entries, or other requirements specific to their course of study. If your son or daughter would like to earn academic credit for his/her internship abroad, we ask that his/her department’s specific requirements be communicated to World Endeavors as early as possible in the application process to ensure that the internship we place them in can meet those requirements.

Talk with a World Endeavors Advisor

World Endeavors advisors are always available to speak with parents of our participants. Please feel free to contact us anytime, and if you are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area you are welcome to set up an appointment for one of our advisors to meet with you and your son or daughter in person.