Dear Pagoda Community,

At Pagoda we stand with Ukraine and are horrified to witness the suffering resulting from the ongoing conflict.

One of our core values is to “Develop positive international relations through the exchange of cultures, customs and foreign languages”. Any kind of conflict such as we’re witnessing in Ukraine makes it harder for us to achieve this goal but makes this goal even more important.

We believe that the actions of governments should not lead to the demonization of people, wherever they are in the world. We firmly believe in the power of people-to-people exchanges and cultural understanding to create positive change in the world.

Based on the current scenario, the in-person programmes we have planned in 2022 are unaffected.

Over the past 12 years we have developed a thorough approach to risk assessment, scenario planning and stakeholder communication. We have experienced and worked through numerous individual and collective crises as part of delivering global work experience programmes.

At every stage of planning and running programmes we consider the safety and wellbeing of participants as our first priority. As we monitor the situation in Ukraine through the lens of international travel, we will continue to plan and prepare for in-person programmes.

As we work towards a best-case scenario of uninterrupted travel for our participants, we must proceed along our usual timelines of processing applications and finalizing programmes. Along this timeline, we will regularly communicate with partners and applicants individually in relation to key milestones such as booking travel and applying for a visa. Rest assured we are working closely with our teams, host companies and schools on the ground, including in China where restrictions in relation to Covid remain strict.

Should the ongoing situation in Ukraine or any related developments impact our programmes, we will communicate any delays or changes on a case-by-case basis.

The Pagoda team and I are available to discuss any specific concerns or issues, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

All the best,

Jamie Bettles

Founder & Managing Director