DENVER, CO—GoAbroad announced 14 category winners of its annual GoAbroad Innovation Awards during the NAFSA conference in Denver on June 3. Among the winners was SafeAbroad, taking home the Innovation in Crisis Response award for its Russia-Ukraine Early Warning Detection program.
The GoAbroad Innovation Awards celebrate institutions, organizations, and individuals moving the field forward. It’s a time to recognize everyone for their efforts to go beyond the conventional. The winners are chosen by the Innovation Awards Academy, a group of leaders in the field.
As the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated and became a threat to international travel and study abroad, SafeAbroad assembled a team of analysts dedicated to addressing the invasion and disseminating vital information to study abroad programs on a global scale. SafeAbroad’s team focused on maintaining a timeline of events, dedicated to alerting students abroad of airport and border closures, government-imposed restrictions and mandates, and flight cancellations and delays.
On February 23, 2022, SafeAbroad’s Russia-Ukraine Early Warning Detection initiative began, with analysts sharing real-time intelligence of multiple explosions and military operations in major Ukrainian cities–the most significant escalation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis at that time. SafeAbroad alerted clients of explosions in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Khamatorsk within minutes of the event. On February 23, when Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure ordered the evacuations of Kyiv Boryspil International Airport, SafeAbroad was the first to alert its clients, even before the first credible breaking news report emerged. That same night, SafeAbroad updated its clients that Ukraine had implemented martial law nationwide 34 minutes faster than CNN.
SafeAbroad has forged innovative crisis management and early detection programs to safeguard the safety and security of student travelers and their study abroad programs and continues to provide comprehensive and timely information.
About SafeAbroad
SafeAbroad is a global safety and risk management firm that provides real-time intelligence and safety solutions to international education professionals, university risk managers, and study-abroad leaders. Staffed by a global team of analysts, SafeAbroad specializes in providing actionable and timely intelligence by actively monitoring real-time sources for worldwide risks that could impact the safety of travelers. SafeAbroad delivers location-specific and highly curated safety and security reports, crisis simulation training, and workshops for international education program managers and their travelers. With a team of experienced professionals and a network of global partners, SafeAbroad is committed to ensuring that travelers have the information and support they need to travel confidently abroad. Learn more at SafeAbroad.com.
About GoAbroad
GoAbroad, since its inception in 1997, has been on a transformative mission to change lives through meaningful travel. With an unwavering belief in the power of travel to broaden perspectives and foster empathy, GoAbroad serves as the leading resource for impactful journeys around the world. Originally focused on bridging the information gap between students and international programs, GoAbroad has evolved over the past two decades to meet the ever-changing needs of travelers. Today, their relentless commitment continues to create new resources and share global travel opportunities, empowering individuals from all walks of life to explore and discover the world on their own terms. Learn more at GoAbroad.com.