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In partnership with Fort Sherman Academy, the SBTC will host travel and safety trainings for short-term mission team leaders on Feb. 20 (level one) and March 25-26 (level two) at the SBTC offices in Grapevine.
This training deals with the kinds of issues mission team leaders need to be prepared for while traveling internationally or in high-risk areas, said Tiffany Smith, SBTC missions mobilization associate. It will cover questions such as: What happens if someone goes missing? Who do we call if a team is detained by a foreign government? What are our rights if held by foreign government officials? What is the best way to go through customs when on a mission trip? How can we do some preventative training with our team before leaving for the field?
Since 2001, the Fort Sherman Academy has trained over 13,000 people from 47 government, commercial, church and mission organizations. To date, at least 62 of those graduates have since endured and survived incidents like those covered in the training workshops and the DVD-based curriculum called “Safe Travel Solutions.”
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of kidnappings, illegal detentions, carjackings, home invasions, and other violent crimes against people traveling internationally,” said David Dose, Fort Sherman Academy president. “These acts underscore the growing danger and the call for security training to address these specific issues. As we are called to go, just staying at home to be ‘safe’ is not a realistic option for many of us. We must find innovative new ways to reasonable continue going where we are called, and that means being better prepared to travel and respond to challenges appropriately.”
Fort Sherman is one of the world’s largest providers of advanced travel security courses, crisis management instruction and high-risk hostage survival training to civilians. Dose is an authority in hostage survival and anti-terrorism training for civilian and faith-based audiences, having consulted not only in training but also in recovery efforts of persons detained or kidnapped outside the United States.
“I have personally received training from both David Dose and the DVD curriculum,” she added. “In this world of uncertainty and increasing violence, I believe that it is vital for anyone leading teams overseas to commit to take the time to be prepared in the event of a crisis. The stress level in a crisis can be drastically reduced even by team members just knowing that there is a plan in place.”
In addition to the eight-hour level one training on Feb. 20, there will be a level two training March 25-26. The advanced training will delve a little deeper into security issues and precautions to take when traveling in secure areas and how to prepare for potential crises.
Youth leaders or team leaders working along the Mexican border are highly recommended to attend at least a level-one training due to the unpredictable events occurring along the border. To register for either training session, visit sbtexas.com/travelsafety.
