I still don’t understand what you do:

Essentially, we are unbiased and agenda free, personal advocates as you travel, live and / or work abroad.

What is an advocate and why is it important to me, my career and my family?

The basic definition of an advocate is someone who stands up in support of you, in the context of your personal and professional needs, in good times and in bad.  We are someone who fights for your metaphorical and physical health and welfare and is unencumbered by the constraints of time, connection, resource and energy you, your company or your sending agency are challenged with.

You, or designated family members and trustees, can call us for any reason at any time – no matter how simple or strange the need or request.  We anticipate your personal needs, assess and manage various forms of risk and provide solutions toward mitigating those risks and intervening during crisis.  We also serve as a personal or project based concierge service for anything you may need or want.  We operate in countries and theaters you won’t find from other support service companies and we offer truly cool expertise in areas you can’t find in the yellow pages.

It sounds pretty simple; however, why you may need an advocate like G3S2 isn’t always simple to explain.  If you’ve served any time in “the field” – we are confident you innately understand why we exist and are thrilled to know we do.

How does advocacy work and why would I need it for myself, my family, my employees or contract workers?

Here is the most basic, straight forward answer to that question:

You wouldn’t dare think of entering the legal system without a lawyer, would you?  You wouldn’t dream of driving cross country without automobile insurance and we know you wouldn’t consider allowing your child to go on an overnight field trip – no matter how noble the intent, without an adult chaperon with the legal right and financial resources to keep them safe, 24 / 7.  So, why on earth would you take on the risk of traveling abroad for even a day, or enter the field without the expertise, resources and network of an advocate like G3S2?

I’m the volunteer or employee of a major sending agency, university, NGO or news corporation – don’t they already provide these services?

Yes and no… the difference is in the context and focus.  The goal of most organizations is to meet a human or market need through the expertise of field experts or partners, like you.  Many of these agencies provide intensive training and support specific to your role as a subject matter expert or field representative but do not offer the same training or support regarding your personal health and welfare in the context of your life and career needs.  Most are not equipped – nor do they have the capacity or desire to provide ongoing personal, acute support services for anything the world may throw at you.  This is why they partner with G3S2.  We provide organizational wide discounted services to agency personnel, alleviating the financial and time based burdens both you and your representing agency would be required to take on when navigating challenging field experiences.

I’ve survived on my own, thus far…I don’t believe I really need you.

This is the most difficult statement to respond to.  It’s much like defending the need to buy health insurance at the age of 22 or pursue higher education as a professional.  Yes – not only is it possible to survive without it…on occasion some actually do well without managing life’s inevitable risks.  However, these are the rare exceptions.  Statistically, most of us will encounter crisis in various forms and severity.  Traveling, working and living abroad exponentially increases the likelihood that you will encounter crisis, if not have your life, livelihood or family severely threatened by it.  When this happens, we would rather be there when you need us – than you need us and not have us prepared to serve you swiftly and in a cost effective, pre-planned manner.  It’s the difference between being proactive vs. reactive.  We’re here to help you protect the integrity of your life and career – because we know how dangerous it is to attempt deployment on your own.  Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should!

My field budget is tight.  Why should I pay for something I feel confident I can take care of, on my own?

The answer to this is a resounding:  “You can’t!”   You are not in a position to take care of some of the most acute field challenges on your own.  From emergency medevac to negotiating kidnap and ransom, to dealing with the legality of foreign service requirements, you most likely will not be able to manage these things on your own…nor should you, or your agency, try.

Like most anything else in life, things are always more expensive when you most need them.  The question is not; what is the value of what we offer when everything is alright in your life and world?  The real question is; what is the value of what we offer when you or your family are in crisis and don’t have the time, money, network, resources, physical or emotional capacity to make quick, life-saving decisions?  We guide decision making with you based on your personal needs, solid expert opinion, and confirmed intelligence.

In the end, our services begin at less than a dollar a day for some deployment packages.  If your life is not worth the minimum cost to protect it, then we are not the organization to best serve your needs.