OK, glad we got that straightened out 
There is a great video called “Tea and Consent”–it’s been out for a while, but I just saw it recently. You can find it on YouTube.
Oh my goodness. I let me eleven year old daughter stay a week on campus at a university summer program a state away last summer. She’s doing sixteen days this summer at a different university. Next summer she wants to go the Caribbean to get PADI certified. At eleven, my son spent eleven days on a school mission trip in Costa Rica. Last year, it was a week in New York. At fifteen…I have no idea what they will be doing.
We long ago had the talk about drugs, sex, and alcohol. Hell, they lecture me when I have wine with dinner.
If this is a reputable organization running the program (like JHU’s CTY) the kids will have more supervision than they have at home- my kids did CTY for years AND were staff, and the training, supervision, paperwork, accountability is very daunting. And a reputable sponsor will have no issues with directing your specific questions to the site director if you want clarification.
If you’ve never heard of the organization, post the name of the program and parents here can tell you what they know about it.
The actual university in question is really just a landlord for these programs- it’s a way to get revenue when the dorms and labs are empty. You need to talk to the actual organizing folks to clear your mind (or not).
One of my kids was shocked by how early the staff training started for CTY. But if you are going to review every possible food allergy, water safety at the pool, not being alone with a kid with the door closed ever ever ever, how to handle bee stings on a field trip, when to alert a parent if a kid seems “off”, etc. you can’t cover that in a two hour training session before the kids show up.
Oh boy, this is what I get for watching “The Hunting Ground”! Glad you guys are giving me some perspective on not being overprotective. BTW, my kid lectures me on having wine with dinner sometimes too!
I highly recommend a self defense course that specializes in teen girls. They will talk about all this stuff and help your D be less of a target.
I think all guys and girls going off to college should take it. I send my own kids every stage in life… childhood, middle, high school and then off to college. They’ve always found it empowering.
^ yes!!! My daughter and I did a self defense class with our local police department this summer and beyond the hand on self defense skills, there was a ton of info on how to avoid being an easy target.
“The Hunting Ground” is about college students who have NO supervision and are legal adults.
I wouldn’t worry about her safety at a supervised summer program. According to my 16YO, most drinking is done during parties where the alcohol is provided by lenient parents or when kids raid the alcohol cabinet/wine cellars when parents aren’t home. And, the nerds are just as likely to drink as the popular kids and are MORE likely to do drugs. She also said that even when alcohol is around, no one really pressures kids to drink. If your kid is drinking, it’s something they want to do.
Something else that she said that you might want to know: The kids who are the worst offenders are the kids with the most overprotective parents. They’re the ones out experimenting with everything. So, relax and trust your instincts that you raised her well. If she’s not smoking, drinking, doing drugs, or having sex now, she’s not going to have a problem with smoking, drinking, drugs, or sex during a summer HS program.
College, IMO, is a different animal.
There is plenty of supervision at your average public school in America, and yes, things still go on there. Those interested will usually find a way, those not interested will avoid it. This is no different
It is not overreaching to be worried about this – for daughters and for sons. Groups of high schoolers may drink and take unwise risks wherever they are: at home, at boarding school, at supervised summer programs. This can include the studious nerdy kids. I give high schoolers the same advice I would to college students, which is to watch your drink (including if it’s 7-Up) and keep your wits about you. It is smart to talk to your kids about handling risk and making good decisions. Don’t assume that the program will handle it or that your smart/nerdy kids will not be tempted.
Thanks, @Hanna! I appreciate your understanding. I feel a little less crazy now!
Only about 2 percent of female college students who are raped suspect they were slipped a drug. And some of them are probably wrong.
Yes rapes often involve the victims consuming drugs and alcohol. But it is almost always ingested voluntarily.
The summer program my daughter is attending has super strict rules… going off campus to some creeper’s house for fake tutoring or to party just isn’t going to happen. It is possible your summer program is similar where there are counselors always around, students must travel in groups and sign out, and bed checks happen every night. No doubt you can read some reviews about the program which may include good things like lots of student griping about all the rules, LOL.