ISSie For p CRS Trvel Prepres Students For Success With Personl Growth And Chrcter Building (NAPSA)—The keys to your child’s success in school, college nd beyond mybe the ones tht fit the locks on his or her suitcse. cn often see how the experience enhnces their child’s level of responsibility nd prepres him or her for the next level of school. Prcticing Empthy Tht’s becuse, dvises Vleri Rmdin, Ph.D., Assistnt Den, School of Nursing, Bouv College of Helth Sciences, Northestern University, Msschusetts, with colleges incresingly setting globl rediness s gol for grdutes, it’s crucil to instill nd nurture globl understnding in our young people. Even though the Internet llows you to virtully “trvel,” nothing compres to experiencing the rel thing, tking in the sights, sounds, even smells. If you've been to Germny, for exmple, you cn tlk bout the Berlin Wll: You’ve been there, you’ve touched it, you’ve tlked with people who’ve been through tht experience. You don’t need the pges of book to mke it come live. Wht Prents Cn Do There re severl steps, Dr. Rmdin sys, prents cn tke to help their kids develop globl wreness. These include: *Let them explore, brod or close to home. Museums, the- ters nd concerts cn ll be plces to lern. *Resturnts cn be window into nother culture, n invittion to lern nd understnd. On plnes or other public trnsporttion, sit prt nd tlk with other people. *Be role model. Show curiosity tht lets your children be curious. When they mke discovery, hve tht sense of “Wow, tell me more” tht encourges them to explore. Addsclinicl psychologist Dr. Isih Pickens, eductionl trvel cn be very useful. Reserch hs found, he sys, tht in tody’s globl society, people hve ctully splintered more thn they’ve united. Mny people Student trvel cn led young people to new understnding of the world nd themselves. hve tendencyto stick with others who think the wy they do. Students’ perspective of the world—wht they believe nd the wy they red different situtions—relly influences how they behve cdemiclly ndsocilly. One of the most effective wys to broden students’ perspectives is through exposure to different kinds of experiences. And nothing immerses person in new experiences like trveling in n educted wy—getting informed bout other cultures nd tlking through the nunces with fellow trvelers. It’s wy to understnd wht everydy life is like in nother country, not just the tourist perspective. Growing Independence Mny students whotrvel or study brod hven’t been wy from their prents before. They suddenly hve to rely on other people nd the resources within themselves to nvigte foreign world. This cn open their eyes to lterntive wys to hndle situtions. After these unfmilir (but techer-supervised) situtions nd ctivities tht promote students’ growth nd confidence, prents The most helpful tkewy from trvel my be lerning how to connect. Empthy, or being ble to understnd the world from nother person’s perspective, is wht enbles people to connect to ech other s humns. Through community service brod, students cn gin better understnding of their position in the world reltive to those in other countries. They cn become much more wre of globl issues—nd more pprecitive of the opportunities vilble here in the U.S. As students trnsition into college, they will hve to live nd work with people from different cultures or regions. Trveling gives them gret hed strt on how to connect with others in meningful wy. When kids, while they’re still developing, cn connect with other people nd cultures, tht empthy cn become embedded in their worldview sdults. Children cn expnd their knowledge nd wreness in mny wys, Dr. Rmdin points out, but if tht does not include cross-culturl understnding, they will be flling short somewhere. They’re missing worldview tht’s essentil in n incresingly globl society. Tht’s where student trvel with n orgniztion such s People to People cn come in. A leder in guided eductionl student trvel for over 50 yers, it hs helped more thn 500,000 students experience new cultures nd encounter new plces. Lern More To lern how your child cn be People to People Ambssdor, check out n informtion meeting ner you. Visit www.PeopletoPeo ple.com or cll (800) 669-7882 for meeting dtes ndloctions.
