RISK MANAGEMENT

A Culture of Risk Management

We understand that parents are eager to find the right settings for their children. Our goal is to create an environment for your child that fosters growth through challenge and accomplishment. We strive to create trips that embody our values—teamwork and leadership, independence and self-reliance, discovery and inspiration—and help catalyze in students an understanding and appreciation of the world beyond themselves.

Risk management plays a central role in this mission. It is important for Overland families to understand that our trips include inherent and other risks, whether the setting is a winding river in New England, a village in Tanzania, or the quiet wilderness of an Alaskan mountain range. We strive to manage these risks, knowing we cannot eliminate them. We cannot guarantee absolute safety—no organization can. But with decades of experience, we have developed and refined our approach to managing risk. From our leader hiring and training to our safety practices and annual review, safety and risk management are at the forefront of our decision making.

A Dedicated, Experienced Full-Time Staff

Our full-time staff works year-round to prepare our summer trips. Our admissions team, trip planners, and travel coordinators focus their efforts on putting the details in place throughout the year so that our leaders can focus on their students during the summer. Once trips begin, we are prepared to provide support to our leaders 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we communicate with parents in the case of an accident, injury, or illness that requires professional medical attention.

Leaders We Trust

We invest a tremendous amount of time and resources into hiring and training leaders. Our hiring process entails a written application, three references, interviews, and background checks. Our leaders are certified in First Aid and CPR. All leaders come to Williamstown before trips start for our 10-day leader training, during which they review leadership skills and safety practices in seminars taught by our full-time staff. Leaders finish training with a training trip led by veteran leaders.

Trip Design and Annual Review

We design trips with age-appropriate challenges. We work with families to help them understand the details of our trips, so they can select an appropriate trip and their child can come prepared for the Overland experience. Every year, we perform a thorough review of our trips, partners, and safety practices, drawing on valuable feedback from parents, leaders, students, and partners. This review process enables us to continue to improve our trips and policies year after year.

Valued Partners

Throughout the year, we monitor trip locations and stay in touch with local contacts for area-specific updates. We’re in touch with our service organizations, language schools, park rangers, and outfitters to gain local knowledge and develop activities appropriate for our Overland groups.

ACA Accreditation

Overland is committed to the well-being of our campers. A key component of this commitment is our accreditation by the nationally-recognized American Camp Association (ACA). To receive this endorsement, Overland regularly submits to the ACA’s evaluation of our standards and our overall summer camp quality.

Click here to learn about ACA Accreditation.

Overland is licensed by the Williamstown, Massachusetts Board of Health and complies with 105 CMR 430.000 Chapter IV. Camp policies are available for review. We are an equal opportunity provider.