For most parents, this is the first time your child is travelling overseas without you and that can be very stressful. But we are here to assure you that you have nothing to worry about.
Unleashed Grad Trips is partnering up with NSW Health to help your young people to make healthy decisions while on Grad Trip. We know that providing young people with accurate information that is reliable and youth friendly helps them make better decisions about their health.
We interviewed Virginia, a parent of a fellow grad tripper, Lauren, who travelled to Fiji with us last year who had concerns that I’m sure you reading this also have.
Why did you choose Grad Trip?
I chose Fiji because I knew that there was Unleashed Crew 24/7 from the minute my daughter arrived to the airport through to the departing Fiji. It gave me a sense of relief that my daughter would be looked after at all times and there was someone there immediately if she had any issues.
What were your concerns prior to your daughter going on Grad Trip?
I had 3 major concerns prior to my daughter travelling to Fiji for Grad Trip.
- My daughter Lauren has type 1 diabetes so my biggest concern was whether she would have access to food if her blood sugar dropped when she was drinking alcohol.
- I knew that this was an exciting time for my daughter and her friends because they have just finished the HSC and they are ready to celebrate. So I was worried that Lauren would consume too much alcohol and there would be no one there to look after her.
- I was unsure about my daughter’s knowledge about safe sex and in an environment where guys and girls are together and consuming alcohol I was worried she may come home with an STI or pregnant.
What made you feel more comfortable about your daughter travelling on Grad Trip?
The biggest stress reliever was knowing that there was Unleashed Crew there 24/7 to keep my daughter safe.
Hearing that Unleashed Grad Trips had partnered up with NSW Health to promote and educate students about safe sex, as well as providing condoms on island helped relieve many of my concerns.
How did you bring up the topic of safe sex?
Like I’m sure most parents find, having the conversation about sex with your child is awkward and uncomfortable for both parties. I didn’t know how to approach the subject so having resources such as the Play Safe website makes this type of conversation a lot easier.
