Tribe Building: Secrets of Moving From Struggle to Success When Building Your Tribe        

Doreen M. Cumberford                   

How many of us have struggled with repeatedly building a new tribe in a new location? Building your tribe requires focus, time, energy, thinking and stamina, together with a high level of intention. This interactive presentation helps participants uncover new possibilities they might not have previously considered. Learn how to lose the struggle and strife and build your tribe based on vision and values. See how to apply intuition, imagination and perception while building your tribe. What do you have to give up to resonate with and grow your natural tribe? Participants will leave with tools, strategies and a clear vision for building a tribe that fits their unique personality and lifestyle.

You Couldn't Make it Up - The Latest Findings on the Decades of ATCKs   

Lesley Lewis  

The ATCK Tribe has been on the move for centuries. Drawing on her study of this highly mobile group over a number of years, this session reveals Leslie’s conversations with ATCKs from decades spanning 20- to 80-year-olds, all with one thing in common: they were TCKs during their developmental years. The Techno 20’s, the Thriving 30’s, the Thoughtful 40’s, The Fabulous 50’s, the Ultimate 60’s, the Serene 70’s and the Enlightened 80’s -- hear what each decade has felt, the impact of TCK life and how Global Adults have moved their tribe Beyond Global Boundaries.

What it Takes to Manage Dual Careers Abroad: Expat Value 2017 Global Survey

Alix Carnot                

Many couples try to pursue three goals: expatriation, love and career. But the alchemy uniting these three elements is uneasy. What is the impact of international mobility on the couple and how does the expat partner career evolve? What are the obstacles and winning strategies? Our global survey gives key insights on this growing concern for the expatriate community. We conclude with ideas on how to build a tribe to boost your job search abroad. The discussion is dotted with examples from Alix’s experience and direct insights from the survey.

Globally Mobile Children: One Tribe or Many      

Ann Baker Cottrell

TCK, CCK, Global Nomad, Expat, Refugee, Immigrant. Are these children distinct populations whose experiences differ in meaningful ways or do these terms merely mask a fundamentally common experience?  Are they one tribe or many? Ann’s concurrent session explores the use and understanding of various terms applied to globally mobile children in order to ascertain if there is, in fact, any consensus on the meaning of these terms and the extent to which research illuminates commonalities or distinctions between experiences of children so labeled. Research comparing individuals identified with these labels is encouraged.

What Expats Can Do - To Bring Hope to the World

Claudia Landini and Cristina Baldan

We left FIGT 2016 with the need to reflect on the role expats have at this historical moment in time. No matter what race, nationality or religion, all expats learn how to deal with diversity, a precious skill the world needs today more than ever.

We created What Expats Can Do to engage the globally mobile to find new and effective ways to convey hope and empathy across borders. Our project is a brainstorming platform to find effective ways to apply this skill in our daily lives, wherever we are, to increase empathy and hope in our communities. By doing this, we redefine the importance of the experience abroad and create a sense of belonging across borders. In this session, we share the results of our work and invite the community to join us and contribute with ideas and experiences.

Home Is Where... Finding Our Tribe Through Theatre and Oral History          

Amy Clare Tasker and Guleraana Mir               

Kristin Duncombe                

This session addresses the issues of international identity and mental health. Drawing on her experience as an expat and a psychotherapist, Kristin will be discussing raising children in an international context, and the impact of a global, mobile existence on identity and self esteem. She’ll be introducing strategies to bolster kids’ and teens’ optimism as a means of combatting depression, anxiety, and related problems, starting with the MERCI model, an approach she developed from interviews with international families across France and Switzerland.

Fostering Inclusive Tribes

Claudine Hakim and Luchy Harrold

Everyone at the International School of London (ISL) ‘reaches the table’ where over 20 languages are taught. Teaching and modeling empathy, resilience and collaboration begins amongst language groups and spreads to the school via the award-winning Crossroads transition program. Claudine Hakim, Dean of Students, will explore the importance of developing a high level of emotional literacy in the community to facilitate a smoother transition and create a sense of belonging. School counsellor Luchy Harrold will present the structure of emotional literacy workshops offered throughout the year to help the community explore their own feelings whilst adjusting and integrating to the school’s tribe and create a forum for discussion when things are not going quite right.

Effective Mediation and Conflict Resolution in Mobile Global Communities  

Dana Bachar Grossman                   

Dana will share the conflict root and culture cause. She will address communication, the essential key to relationships and success. She will talk about the key to the negotiation core, avoiding disputes while maximizing results. The Mediation framework includes tips and tools for conflict resolution and relationships maintenance.

What is a Portable Career - The 2017 Discussion

Colleen Reichrath-Smith, Kirsten de Greling-Visman, Sacha Tanis Hopmans, Caroline van den Bogaard, Henriëtte Wentholt, Nicola Wreford-Howard.

A Career in Your Suitcase has evolved since Jo Parfitt first coined the term in 1998. Using current research and statistics as well as future forecasts, we will unpack the terms, explore the implications and together develop a stronger understanding of what a ‘portable career’ in 2017 is and can be, and why a tribe is necessary for a successful Career in Your Suitcase.

The ABC & XYZ of Finding Your Tribe Upon Arrival: Lessons from an Active Tribe Builder   

Deborah Valentine   

Building on the ‘maps of your old & new life’ introduced in ‘A Mobile Life’, and taking the keys words from the testimonials provided by the participants in the survey mentioned above, ACCESS will be used to further illustrate how it has been able to provide a base from which people can find and build their own tribes. Our volunteers are a tribe – possessing certain characteristics – but other, more personal tribes are also found and built upon. The premise is that there is not ONE tribe for global mobility, but rather, that one must know ahead of time what they are looking for, and then find a local opportunity to meet that need. The ABC … and XYZ refers to the adjectives found in the testimonials.

The Psychology of Adaptation of ‘Global’ People

Simone Torres Costa                        

This session will discuss the results from web-based research with 708 international migrants and sojourners from 69 nationalities living in 43 countries which contradicted traditional theories. The results confirmed how migrants´ and sojourners´ acculturation strategies toward their culture of origin and host culture were related to their level of psychological and sociocultural adaptation outcomes. However, findings also suggest the need to consider changes in the international context, new characteristics of this population's social network and the third culture factor of their global identity.

Build a Powerful Tribe - Inspiration and Techniques to Engage with Your Community and Spread the Word               

Amel Derragui          

Do you have a strong message to share through your personal story, a story you care about, your talents, your services or your products? Are you struggling with a challenge but know that others do too? Then join us to find out how you can make the change you want to see, be at the service of a cause or a community, share your talent and spread the word with what you want to achieve in your life, your project, your job or your business.  We will look at inspiring examples of leaders inside and outside the global nomads community who founded engaging tribes and created powerful movements around their cause or their business. We will discuss the mindset to succeed as a tribe leader, learn the marketing communications techniques to build your own tribe and make the impact you are looking for.

Third Culture Families (TCFs): Redefining the traditional concept of home, family and friendship

Marielle de Spa

This session’s main purpose will be to introduce and distinguish the Third Culture Family (TCF) tribe from other similar communities such as short term expats, immigrants, or missionaries by descrribing its singular profile and distinctive attributes.  

As we explore the TCF community, we will revisit the traditional concepts of Home, Family and Friendship and how they are constantly being redefined by TCFs a a means to create their own identity. We will also engage the discussion around the mission of TCFs, the resonance of their value system with new generations as well as reasons why their contribution has become critical in the current socio-economic and political juncture.