Communication While Abroad

Communicating with Your Fellow during the Program

Parents/guardians should expect to receive a message via the Remind App (please see your program specific details for information on how to sign up for this) within 24 hours of the group’s landing in country. We provide a daily update via Remind to let parents know their Fellow is safe but enjoying the Fellowship experience! We also inform you about travel and pick-up arrangements at the end of the program.

The Program encourages all fellows to check in with their family on their own once they have arrived in country. However, do note that orientation is a very busy time and fellows may not be able to call right away. We also often stay in rural or remote areas where cell service and/or internet access is limited. Thus, how often and the manner in which your child contacts you during his or her program will depend on the location of the program (i.e., field trip days, etc.). Make sure you have developed a communication plan and expectations with your child about frequency of calls home: our recommendation is that you should realistically expect to speak about upon arrival and departure, given that the trip will only extend for two weeks.

While the majority of programs have access to postal service, we discourage the sending of mail or care packages, in particular due to the short duration of the trip. In our experience, mail service, especially packages, can be delayed for a variety of reasons outside of our control. If you must send something to your child, ensure that you include tracking services, as Program team leaders will not be able to help locate lost/late packages.

Please remember that trained adult group leaders are available to fellows and are best positioned to help with all issues that arise during the program. We therefore request that fellows speak directly with leaders about issues prior to contacting parents.

Methods of Communication
Our recommendation is that fellows check their home cellular service provider to see if they have an international plan. However, please be aware the cell phone usage abroad may result incur large costs. We highly recommend Fellows limit their cell phone usage during labs and workshops as it could significantly impact the experience of the fellow, including cultural adjustment and group dynamics.

In some occasions, we may recommend the use of prepaid calling cards when communicating home. It is much easier to find pay phones internationally than it is in the US, and our leaders will help students acquire these cards when they arrive in country. However, due to the short duration of the trip, parents will be provided with the team leader’s in-country telephone number. All fellows will have the ability to contact their parents to confirm their arrival in country. 

Program leaders will not provide troubleshooting support for international cell phone service. If fellows intend to bring cell phones and use them internationally, they should contact their cellular service provider to discuss whether the technology will work abroad, and what additional technology may be required (e.g., SIM cards).

Remind APP: How We Stay Connected

We use the Remind App to provide regular updates while abroad - you can expect to receive a daily update from our program staff/team. Please follow the instructions on how to access the 2021 Nyah Project Fellowship class on Remind :

2021 FELLOWS: Join Now or access via this link: http://rmd.at/2021nyah or text @2021nyah to the number 81010 (standard messaging rates may apply). Download Remind App Access Instructions HERE.

2022 FELLOWS: Join Now or access via this link: http://rmd.at/2022nyah or text @2021nyah to the number 81010 (standard messaging rates may apply). Download Remind App Access Instructions HERE.