As the sun sets on our first leadership retreat, we find ourselves filled with inspiration, reflection, and a renewed sense of purpose. Over several days in April, CEOs and business leaders from member organizations gathered to delve deep into the challenges and opportunities of our industry. Here are some key takeaways from our time together.

Duty of Care is not merely a legal obligation; it's a moral imperative that organizations in the travel and experiential education industry must prioritize the well-being, security, and safety of their participants. However, the landscape of duty of care is as dynamic as the industry itself, constantly evolving with societal changes and industry advancements. In this blog, we explore the fluid and ever-changing nature of Duty of Care, emphasizing its practical application for organizations to operate confidently in a rapidly changing environment.

Embarking on a transformative travel program with minors is a rewarding endeavor that contributes to their growth, resilience, and global awareness. While these programs create profound impacts, they also come with unique challenges and responsibilities. At Cornerstone Safety Group, we recognize the importance of addressing the logistical and protective aspects of working with minors in travel and experiential education.

Recently, the resurgence of measles has become a concerning reality, particularly for the travel and experiential education sectors. Cornerstone Safety Group acknowledges the gravity of this situation and aims to provide comprehensive guidance to our members in navigating the current landscape effectively.

While perseverance and dedication are commendable qualities, it's crucial to recognize the impact of stress on individuals and teams. In this article, we delve into the Stress Continuum model as a valuable tool for assessing and addressing stress within the travel and experiential education industries.

Over the last two years at Cornerstone Safety Group, we’ve had the pleasure of working with 30+ member organizations as we provide the most comprehensive support possible to the travel and experiential education industry. We’ve also noted that members use their membership hours in thoughtful and creative ways that go beyond the obvious support resources.

So, settle in for some stories of success, strategy, and solutions. Today, we are offering concrete examples of how members utilize our services to reach improved outcomes in all functions of their organizations.

Across management staff, field staff, and those in your senior leadership positions, you might be managing or working with a number of generations. For most organizations, that means you’re operating with staff who display (wonderfully) different perspectives, values, views, and backgrounds.

When it comes to your travel program, your staff may not only have different individual backgrounds and perspectives, but also different ideas about the nature of work itself. This can potentially create challenges if views aren’t aligned and entry level staff require a completely different approach than those who are more seasoned.

Bracing for the inevitable stresses of managing programs is a recipe for burnout and frustration among HQ staff and leadership teams. So, what can you do to proactively address HQ burnout and manage the leadership team’s mental health on the precipice of your busiest season? How do you support each other, as a leadership staff, through peak season before burnout becomes an inevitability?

We spoke with organizational leaders and the Cornerstone mental health team to offer best practices and insights below.

This year in Missoula, Cornerstone Safety Group received the 2023 Innovation in Gap Year Programming Award! After a record number of nominations from members and industry leaders, Executive Director, Dave Dennis, gratefully accepted the award at this year’s Gap Year Association Conference.

“Cornerstone provides benchmarks for safety, risk management, mental health, and medical support on student programming,” read one nomination. “The subscription model is innovative within our industry and the approach of ‘safety is not intellectual property’ has allowed for more collaboration across companies that previously saw themselves purely as competitors. Cornerstone is making the industry safer for all of us.”

Meet our Mental Health Team! As the first organization to provide all-inclusive health, safety and risk management services for the travel and experiential education industries, Cornerstone relies on a team of experts. To offer our members customized consultation, advisement, and thought leadership, it takes a professional who can navigate the space between industries.

Today, we’d like to introduce you to our mental health team, compassionate and self-motivated professionals who assist with the ongoing development of training and education, support our members, and develop best practices to keep organizations evolving. We’re fortunate to be joined by a the following individuals with significant industry experience and passion for transformative travel.

This October, the Cornerstone staff enjoyed meeting with members, the risk management community, and some fresh faces during the 2022 Wilderness Risk Management Conference in Burlington, Vermont. Here were our main takeaways

It’s been a full year since Cornerstone Safety Group was formed. Along the way, we’ve learned powerful lessons, been able to support members during the most challenging of times, and are proud to say that we’re just getting started!