International Student Safety Project (ISSP)

International Student Safety Project

The International Student Safety Project aims to raise awareness of personal safety precautions in Vancouver's international student population by developing a framework which includes the following:

Identification of key International Student Safety Concerns
Development of a "Safety Orientation Program" to meet the complex program delivery challenges associated with international students. (Program materials may include: a PowerPoint presentation, orientation brochure, safety wallet cards, video vignettes, a facilitator's guide)
Development of a Student Safety and Awareness Resource Bank (with links, where applicable) to provide information on existing resources and tools that are currently being used.

Origins of the International Student Safety Project

In 2002, the international education community and social service agencies in Vancouver collaborated to improve the safety awareness of international students. Many international students are young, speak little English, are away from home for the first time. These students cab be vulnerable as potential targets of crime.

A series of meetings occurred in 2002-03 which identified the large number of stakeholder groups who cared about the issue of international student safety, but lacked the network to coordinate with one another and the resources to provide students with the best safety orientation. Following the forum, a smaller group met to develop a strategy for connecting stakeholders and to explore the possibility of improving the quality of safety support to students. A Steering Committee was created and mandated to explore ways to improve student safety, resulting in the development of this International Student Safety Project (ISSP).

ISSP Steering Committee

The ISSP Steering Committee is made up of diverse stakeholder groups. Currently, there are participants from: Government (City of Vancouver, Vancouver Police Department, Ministry of Solicitor General), Private English School representatives, the Canadian Association of Private Language Schools, Canadian Education Centre Network, South Vancouver Community Policing Centre, Langara College, SUCCESS, MOSAIC, UBC, BCCIE.

The Steering Committee's mandate is to set overall policy and program direction, oversee finance and fundraising, recruit volunteers as needed, approve/ratify the work/recommendations of the subcommittees, and respond to media and general inquiries.