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Power Presentations will consist of a 30 minute pre-recorded content (with PowerPoint), focused on a single topic with one or several presenters, followed by 10 mins of live Q&A. FIGT will provide a moderator to help manage the Q&A. There will be three Power Presentations for attendees to choose from each time.
Bridging Differences Not Breaking Kids: Reimagining the Narrative of Raising Kids Abroad Jerry Jones and Sundae Schneider-Bean This workshop is designed to give new hope to guilt-prone global families. It tracks the nuances and psychology that have inadvertently shaped a dysfunctional paradigm. Then it offers a reimagined, practical and powerful alternative. We will introduce core strategies and simple but strong tools to re-engage. Offered from a parent/practitioner perspective who support global families and non-TCK parents who are raising TCK’s. Perfect for:
Surveying the Landscape: Common Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities in International School Transition Support In an effort to better understand the transitions support landscape in international schools, Sea Change Mentoring and Globally Grounded partnered together to conduct an independent research project. Building on the important work of Barbara Schaetti, the Council of International Schools, and Doug Ota, our research provides a deeper understanding of the transitions-care practices, challenges, and opportunities that the international school community faces. Our early findings were presented at #FIGT2019 to widespread acclaim. Join us this year as we present our final findings and discuss the implications for how schools and organizations can improve the way they care for young people impacted by global mobility. A Systematic Review of Third Culture Kids Empirical Research: A Call for New Approach to TCK Research? Ann Baker Cottrell and Esther Tan With globalization and technological advances, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people living cross-culturally with mobility. With this, the number of children living mobile cross-national lives, often termed Third Culture Kids (TCKs), is also increasing. TCKs are defined as those who have accompanied their parents for work or study overseas during their significant developmental years, before 18. They are often described as people who build relationships to all of the cultures they have lived in while not having full ownership in any. To gain an overall understanding of the current research landscape on this population, a systematic review was conducted on the literature of empirical research on Third Culture Kids (TCKs). The search utilized the EBSCO PsychINFO database and focused on psychosocial issues. An initial yield of 399 articles were further curated based on inclusion and exclusion criteria with consensus by two psychology researchers, resulting in 31 research publications. The content analysis review included comparisons across years, types of publications, authors, research design and analytical methods, sample age and definition, and frequency of the domains and themes. This systematic review compiled descriptive tables of studies and reviewed key findings of the three most-researched domains—emotional, relational, and identity development. The paper also highlighted discussions about the lack of standardization in TCK definition, challenges in TCK research, and suggestions for future directions.
A Call to Action: Expat Fueled Anti-Bullying Strategies for the World at Large
Within the next few decades, we are likely to see a massive increase in the number of people in transition for various reasons including climate change, economic shifts, and continued globalization. With this increase comes the very real danger of increased cultural conflict. Even now many of the traits that we would associate with bullying are flagrantly on display far beyond the bounds of school or even youth. The world, it seems, could use some anti-bullying training. Drawing on my experience working with international schools across the globe, and incorporating practical strategies through projects like WhatExpatsCanDo.com, this workshop aims to empower expats, parents, and students to help create and maintain a culture that goes beyond tolerance and actively promote dialogue, understanding, and cohesion. Curious about Autism in International Schools? One in 59 are diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. With this statistic comes many questions. What does that mean for families with children on the spectrum? Will their children be accepted into international schools? What does this mean for international schools? Are they ready to work with students on this very broad spectrum? Lori will introduce participants to autism through statistics, best practices, and personal stories of raising her son with profound autism overseas. Discussion time will be spent on how international schools are adapting to this ever-growing population of students, and explore further steps necessary to bring inclusion of all learners to the international school setting. Lori will also share how inclusion of students with special needs at International School Bangkok has benefited students, staff, and the community.
Fear of Difference: Where Does it Come From, How Do we Overcome it?
What are you afraid of? How does that fear show up in your body, your mind or even your behaviour? Was Yoda right? Does fear lead to anger? Does fear hold people back from embracing and bridging differences? In this session, we will learn where our fears come from, how they may show up differently in different cultures and places, how to face them ourselves, and how to help others face them. This session will draw on neuroscience and positive psychology to help us understand our brains, our emotions and our behaviours to build the courage we need to embrace and bridge whatever differences we may be facing. How Languages Help Communities Embrace Differences: Parents Share Their Bilingual Education Journey Elizabeth Greninger and Diana Limongi In this session, Dr Elizabeth Greninger, an educator raising two children in Hermosillo, Mexico, and Diana Limongi, an activist and blogger raising her children in NYC, will share their unique experiences raising bilingual children and navigating the language learning and school options available to them. Elizabeth and Diana will share their personal motivations and decisions to cultivate bilingualism in their families, focusing on how language learning can bridge differences in cultures and can foster open-mindedness and empathy. They will share current research related to language acquisition, models of bilingual programming commonly used in schools around the world, and information that families can consider when selecting language options for their children, including ways parents can advocate for bilingualism in their communities. Why Is This So Hard? Understanding the Underside of Expat Life and How to Flip it Around We will look at 9 reasons it can be hard to move to a new culture. A few are expected: difficulties communicating, or loss of social support, for example. Others are more surprising. How do you learn to distinguish cultural differences from character flaws? How is it being a minority member, especially if this is new for you? How are you affected by the drip, drip, drip of not understanding how to do simple daily tasks? What happens emotionally when you get a social norm wrong? How is your family coping with its myriad of changes? And how do you maintain your sense of identity when people know nothing of your history? Interactive exercises will help clarify the power of these challenges. Selected research findings deepen our examination of the challenges of moving to a new country. How to Set Clear Priorities Using A Simple 5-Step Model and Manage Career Identity Crisis Overseas Setting Clear Priorities Using A Simple 5-Step Model Using a Cake And a Fridge Managing Career Identity Crisis Overseas At a time when being an individual is celebrated, often at the expense of community, my intent is to ask, "How does identity impact the stories we tell?" Where do our biases lie? How do we craft identity to bring a sense of belonging? Does difference make us feel unified or more alone? Using illustration and a guided visualisation, we will explore who owns our stories. Are they what we think they are? By reflecting these stories back to us, we can fully embrace ourselves and move from being owned by our stories into vibrancy and empowerment. From this position of strength, we can bridge differences. The practical tips I offer will help you to see the world through different eyes. Whilst You Move, Your Money Stays Still: Understand and Simplify Global Financial Planning Creating a financial plan that provides as much flexibility as possible, wherever someone chooses to live. will include normal considerations such as tax or how much you need to save to retire at your desired age. However, for globally mobile people there are added considerations such as currency, double taxation treaties, and differing rules about how and when you can access your retirement savings or investments in different countries. These are just a few of the issues that we will be looking at, as well as ideas of how you can simplify your planning, and the opportunities and issues that relocation present. Some of the topics covered will be country specific, but much of the discussion will cover broad themes and ideas that are relevant for most or all countries. Holding the Fort: How to Stay Sane When Your Spouse Works Away and You Parent Alone Does your spouse always have a suitcase by the door? Are you solo parenting in a foreign country while your spouse comes and goes? Can your marriage survive it? How can they prioritise their family if they are miles away? Rhoda Bangerter went on a mission to unearth the treasures of wisdom from families who have lived this or who are still living this. This session will explore how to prepare and thrive when one spouse is away a lot from home. Keystone Skills for Wellbeing: Building Ethical, Mindful, Social, and Emotional Capacities for More Resilient Family Bonds and Enhanced Wellbeing Join educational expert in emotional intelligence, mindful, ethical, social, and emotional learning, Amy McConnell Franklin, PhD to experience, practice, discuss, and reflect on foundational skills for creating resilient, reliable, values-driven family connections, authentic social bonds and emotion-related skills critical for individual, familial and community wellbeing. Practice turning the challenges of transitions into greater family cohesion, integrity and enhanced self awareness, creating peace and understanding from the inside out. Vertical Development Transformation: Turning the (CCK) Pieces into a Mosaic Adult Cross Cultural Kids (ACCKs) are uniquely qualified to integrate diversity and bridge differences. However, many ACCKs struggle to fit the many unique pieces of their experience into a single cohesive identity. In order to integrate diversity and bridge differences in others, diversity and differences must be integrated and bridged internally. The Vertical Development Framework provides a framework and map that powerfully facilitates this internal integration, even for the most complex CCK experience. This internal integration is key to facilitating extra-personal diversity integration and bridge building. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed: Enhancing the Expat Experience by Reshaping Old Customs and Traditions and Embracing the New As an American expatriate, Lisa has spent the last 25 years moving gravy boats and turkey platters between countries. Thanksgiving WILL happen no matter where she lives! She has learned the art of reshaping and reinventing the way we spend holidays, celebrate occasions or honour traditions. Embracing and learning about those rituals of the countries we live in also opens us up to new experiences and ways of understanding our cultural differences. This attitude of learning and sharing has bridged the gap and enhanced many friendships over the years. After all, traditions and rituals are part of our identity, part of how we see ourselves and part of how we connect with family and friends. And, she just loves the look on people’s faces when she suggests Pumpkin Pie! Global Migration Resources, Tools and Reflections for Education, Coaching and Counseling Professionals This session will explore resources and tools specifically related to global migration themes including discussions and activities. It will be interactive and creative, supporting the work of education, coaching and counselling professionals who are working with children, adolescents and families needing help in processing global migration themes and issues. This session will also present challenges and successes when working cross-culturally as an educational psychologist. Based on brief casework examples, the session will present reflections about educational psychology practice and the importance of cultural sensitivity. Key recommendations for professionals working in education, psychology, counselling and coaching will be outlined.Transforming Listening: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges Deborah Kramlich and Alessandra Romano In today’s polarized world, we seem to have forgotten how to both listen and dialogue with each other. In this session, each participant will be introduced to a deep listening activity centered around sharing stories related to crossing cultures. The Transformative Listening Project is a community-focused approach to creating listening gatherings of two or more people. Listening is a key, core feature of meetings of people, sharing, responding, and collaborating on their relationships, their communities, and their world. It offers the opportunity to withhold judgment, show value to someone, and breakdown prejudices and biases through hearing someone’s story. Since this session will not be offered in a face-to-face setting, audience participants will be walked through the listening activity and encouraged to practice this activity outside of the session and upload feedback on a survey form to further refine the protocol. Creating Your Own Neurodiverse Support Communities on the Move, Online and in Real Life Embracing and bridging differences is everyday work for expats with Neurodiverse families. Think it’s tough finding a new piano teacher for your child? Try finding three types of therapists, a doctor who will prescribe existing medications, and then consider you may have moved to a country where the education options are limited and homeschooling is illegal. Never mind what the local culture thinks of your family and their labels. Once you’ve landed, research, educational and relocation consultants are in your past. Your future is here. Session participants will be challenged to contemplate Neurodiversity requirements in an interactive discussion and group exercises to ascertain how you find and build the unique community you need to survive and thrive in your new location. |
