Dear Parents,

We never get students who don’t have concerned parents. In fact, we try not to accept students whose parents aren’t behind them because they need you and your prayers to get them through what they will be facing on an EduVenture semester. On this page, we’ve tried to address the two issues that are most important to you as a parent: safety and cost.

Risks and Dangers

Good parents are always concerned about safety - we know because each EduVenture site director is a parent. We raise our kids in the environment that we are taking your kids to.

There are dangers, but one of our goals is to train young people to live daringly for the right reasons. We don’t seek foolish or self-centered adrenaline-rush type of adventures. We seek to follow God where He leads and to be strong and brave to face the dangers and challenges of that life. Adventure is a great way to learn to live this principle in real life.

Stupid is not the same thing as daring. One of our goals is to help your child learn the difference between these two. Our adventure team leaders are trained as First Responders and each site has a staff person trained as an EMT. We never put our students in a position that staff haven’t been through first. We always have an emergency plan for each activity.

There are dangers, and we will not guarantee that your child will not be injured or sick. Every place has its own dangers, and learning to handle those dangers is the key. I find that driving in Los Angeles is about the most dangerous thing I have ever done in my life because I am so out of my element. I need a coach!

Once the semester is in session, you are likely to get a letter from your child saying something to the effect of “Dear Mom and Dad, I’m having such a great time here in Calandria... We killed two scorpions in our room today and one black widow outside the door…” or “While we were snorkeling today, a reef shark went shooting past us…” What they might not tell you is “we have been trained to deal with these new dangers.” We will be coaching your child all semester; their job is simply to heed and follow instructions.

If you don't feel that your child is ready for this level of risk or don't have peace about this, then please don’t sign the Parental Consent Form without contacting us first. We would be more than glad to provide you with all the information you may need for your peace of mind. You know your child far better than we do and we need your help in selecting students who are ready for this program.

Cost

Some parents are very concerned about the cost of EduVenture (please see the Schedule and Fees page for exact details). In most cases, if not all, our semester costs less than a semester of tuition and room/board at your child's College campus.

A major difference in our program is that we have a maximum of 12 students and our student/staff ratio is generally 2 to 1, which is unheard-of on college campuses. Our focus is discipleship and mentoring, not lecture-style teaching, although that is also a component of the academics. Because of the student/staff ratio, we see tremendous life change happen in our students.

Most educators are amazed that we can run a program with this ratio. The reason is because our staff see this as a ministry. Each staff person has to raise his/her own support for the first 6 months, and then they receive a full-time salary of $500 a month. None of us are in it for the money.

The next question is “where is all the money going?” Each site, after it is operational and has paid its start up costs, supports local ministry with the money provided from the college student program. In Indonesia, we run a Leadership Development school for 32 Papuan young people. We teach English, Computer, Business and several other skills. We are also involved in a number of other local community development efforts. If you would like more information on this or would like to talk with a Board member, please contact us at your earliest convenience.

We hope this helps you understand us better. We are for God, your kids, and you.

Blessings on you,
Scotty Wisley
EduVenture Director

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