New directions for study tours in Switzerland

"I think we can get a breath of fresh air in Switzerland, too. There are some very nice things to see. It's a mistake to think that a successful trip is a trip abroad. Sometimes, when you go to German-speaking Switzerland, you could almost say from Geneva that it has a little exotic side," explains Anne Emery-Torracinta.

Source: Geneva students still denied study abroad trip - June 2022
https://www.rts.ch/info/regions/geneve/13179732-les-eleves-genevois-encore-prives-de-voyage-detudes-a-letranger.html

COVID has often had negative effects, but it has also brought new ways of seeing and approaching the world around us; this has been the case with school trips. With COVID, institutions feared last-minute cancellations; as a result, they reoriented travel within the country and, at the same time, took the opportunity to rethink national economic solidarities.

"Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, many of you have had to cancel planned field trips and excursions this year. In view of the uncertainty linked to the development of the pandemic [...] The FDJC has therefore decided that, during the year 2020-2021, all school outings, study trips and camps for compulsory and post-compulsory schooling will take place exclusively in Switzerland.

The Department believes that it is important to act in an act of economic solidarity and to support the Swiss tourism sector, which has been hard hit by the crisis. The organization of outings and study tours in Switzerland will help to support weakened sectors such as the hotel and restaurant industries, as well as sports centers and cultural venues. In financial terms, this corresponds to approximately 7 million francs of potential spin-offs linked to the study trips.

Before the health crisis, the climate issue was at the forefront: young people asked us to question school practices from this angle. A number of you have already initiated reflections on environmentally friendly modes of transportation. This exceptional situation is an opportunity to (re)discover parts of Switzerland that some young people may never have visited and, why not, to bring out new, more sustainable practices. [...]
DFJC - Cellule durabilité"

Source: Canton de Vaud - 2020-2021: school trips and outings in Switzerland - June 2020
https://www.vd.ch/toutes-les-autorites/departements/departement-de-lenseignement-et-de-la-formation-professionnelle-def/direction-generale-de-lenseignement-obligatoire-et-de-la-pedagogie-specialisee-dgeo/2004843/news/13304i-2020-2021-des-voyages-et-sorties-scolaires-en-suisse

An estimated 7 million francs of economic impact by study trips in Switzerland for 8.6 Million inhabitants. That is CHF 1.22 per inhabitant. That is about the same in dollars or euros. If we take this ratio in France, it would be 83 million francs... These are significant budgets that put together raise a real economic force.

If each school plans its school trips in its region, what about the power that could exist if all these school trips were coordinated with thematic orientations. Or if they were part of a revival as part of a regional policy for example.

"The Department of Education, Youth and Culture (DFJC) wants to make the Vaud school a solid model of sustainability, more necessary than ever in the current context. Calls from civil society are multiplying: the exit from the Covid-19 crisis must offer answers to health, socio-economic and environmental issues as well.

At the level of the training system, it is a question of accelerating its transition in order to respond to these challenges. The DFJC wishes to influence the school environment and the content of teaching through concrete measures such as sustainability days, renovation measures for buildings, greening projects or school gardens. This action plan will be deployed progressively and piloted by a new delegate for sustainability, attached to the general secretariat of the Department. She is leading a cell alongside two other recognized specialists and took up her position on April 1, 2020."

Source:  Canton de Vaud - Towards a more sustainable Vaud school - May 2020
https://www.vd.ch/toutes-les-autorites/departements/departement-de-lenseignement-et-de-la-formation-professionnelle-def/actualites/news/13254i-vers-une-ecole-vaudoise-plus-durable

This was an opportunity to change the way we look at study tours. Naturally in Switzerland, 2 kinds of trips are offered. The sports trip, because Switzerland is a very sporty country; the ski camps have been the annual staples of generations of school children for decades.

Switzerland is also a small, foreign-oriented country and therefore tourist trips are traditionally organized abroad. But, COVID has shaken everything up and the cards have been redistributed towards sustainability and local support. 

"What is a sustainable study tour?

Tourism is an activity that creates negative effects; trying to understand and limit them allows for more sustainable travel with positive economic and social benefits and a limited ecological footprint.

So what is sustainable travel?

It is travel that :

- limits its impact on the environment (CO2 emissions, pollution and nuisances, use of natural resources, related to mobility, accommodation and activities on site); 
- limits its impact on local communities; 
- respects the authenticity of local cultures and traditions; - contributes to intercultural understanding and tolerance; 
- promotes equitable and positive economic and social benefits for locals, tourism sector employees and communities.

The sustainability of a study tour does not stop with just these aspects. These trips have a true formative aspect and are understood as teaching periods.

Beyond the pleasure of traveling, they involve educational learning. They are experiences that will accompany students in their future lives as travelers and citizens: the reflections stimulated beforehand and the choices made on the spot can play a role in their understanding of the multidimensional impacts that travel has. In addition, study trips can be an opportunity to visit exemplary places and meet people committed to a trajectory of sustainability. 

Class preparation for a study trip, in a participatory manner, allows for consideration of the following questions:

- needs: what are the class's desired goals? The discovery of another place, group cohesion, a specific thematic trip, an unexpected experience, etc.

- the planning: does a closer destination also meet the needs expressed by the class? What is the best time to go on the trip (crowds, prices), etc.?
- impacts: are the chosen destination and planned activities compatible with sustainability and ethics? Are there more respectful or responsible alternatives?

These avenues of reflection are so many entry points for addressing the topic with students, in order to give meaning and explicit assent to the collective project of the study trip. "

Source: Canton de Vaud - Guide des voyages d'études durables Édition 2020 -
https://www.vd.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/organisation/dfj/sg-dfj/fichiers_pdf/dfjc_guide_voyages_etudes_18082020.pdf

Traveling is about learning and also organizing. This new approach involves young travelers in travel and at the same time it takes into account the economic dimension of all travel. Moreover, choosing a theme for a trip collectively at the regional level can have a positive effect on the participants, students and hosts. Everything is a learning experience, even school trips.

Image source: Pixabay - Narya