Preparing Our Youth for the Global Marketplace
We are the world; all of us together occupying the same space with undeniable commonalities, divided by region yet more connected than ever through advances in technology and increased mobility. We have before us the unprecedented opportunity for unity and advancement with education as our platform. Imperative to our future in areas such as environmental sustainability, economic development, and diplomatic relations between nations is preparing students to be globally competent individuals who understand our interconnected world. The youth of today will need to be able to address real-world problems through research and innovation, weigh perspectives, and communicate ideas cross-culturally. Their success will depend on it.
Global School Access (GSA) was formed to address the growing educational needs of students worldwide. Founded in 2015, GSA is an educational organization that specializes in placing students in private schools across North America. Equipped with an experienced team of educators and international-business professionals, GSA prides itself on family-and-student-centered care including but not limited to: school selection for children in middle and high school, school and visa application processes as well as interview preparation and document handling, host-family or boarding-school selection and placement, academic support, individualized college planning, and cross-cultural training. What distinguishes GSA from its competitors is its commitment to and implementation of student support.
Because student support is essential to the success, growth, and welfare of students who are living abroad, GSA staffs Student Managers and Host Family Managers or Residential Directors (for boarding schools) in every region where students are placed in North America. Parents can rest assured that their children are being well looked after and have people to turn to and who understand the needs of students transitioning to life in a new country. Student Managers are in contact with students and parents on a regular basis and are required to visit students every month at the host family home or boarding school. Parents or guardians receive monthly reports detailing their child’s academic progress, involvement in school activities, host family or boarding school life, social engagement, etc.
Within the last few years there has been a significant shift in attitudes towards international agencies. Trust has been lost due to lack of follow through and broken promises, only to leave students in distressing situations or without an infrastructure of support thousands of miles away from home. Families have been taken advantage of financially or weren’t provided the proper tools and information to ensure the success and welfare of their children while away from home. GSA knows that every family and child needs nurture and support from the moment they make the decision to explore educational opportunities outside of their home country and from that point forward. Recognizing the disparities in student management and specialized services for international students and their parents, GSA leadership joined together committed to change the face of the industry by operating with the utmost integrity and providing quality care that families can rely on. We are parents, former teachers and school principals, and business professionals who understand that relationships are built on trust and fulfilling commitments. We are as invested as our families are in their children’s welfare and success as it impacts all of us now and in the future.
Studies indicate that the skills that students amass through their studies abroad and specifically in North America such as foreign-language acquisition, cultural awareness and sensitivity, critical and creative thinking, and the ability to communicate effectively in intercultural settings as well as to adapt to unfamiliar situations, meet the needs of multi-national companies and give students the ability to compete in the worldwide marketplace. In order to be successful, students need high-level thinking skills as well as extensive knowledge of international issues. Even more impactful are those who continue their studies abroad through the university level.
Middle and high school education serve as the entryway into the North American university system, and students who attend middle and/or high school in North America have a much higher rate of acceptance into the university system. Additionally, they are much more prepared than their classmates who remained in their home countries and applied to university from outside of North America. GSA is dedicated to helping its students build a strong educational foundation leading them to become future leaders and global citizens. At GSA we understand that nurturing the global competence of our youth will give them the capacity to thrive in diverse settings and prepare them to live, compete, and relate to others in a complex and interconnected and interdependent world.
