Mimi Wilson, RN, MOM, GM, ATCK Erin Fonken, PhD, MOM, ATCK Paul Fonken, MD, DAD, ATCK AAFP Global Family Medicine Conference Denver, Colorado September 10-12, 2009

 What experiences have you had with your children internationally?  How do you hope to involve your children internationally in the future?  Short vs. long-term?  Ages of your children?  Where might you go?

 We grew up partly overseas  We raised our own kids partly overseas

 To encourage and enable participants to successfully involve their own children in international experiences.

 Service to others  Children can help  Have realistic expectations  Much of the benefit is for you and your family,, especially if short-term

 Living Overseas changes children permanently  They become “third culture kids” or TCKs

 Kids who grow up in multiple cultures are unique  However, they share many things in common with other children raised in cross-cultural settings  These commonalities are strong enough to be defined as a “third culture”

 Third culture kids have a:  Passport “home” culture  International “host” culture  “Third culture”

 Most of this “TCK” material comes from the book by Pollock and Van Reken: The Third Culture Kid Experience: Growing Up Among Worlds. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press, 1999.

 Raised in genuinely cross cultural settings (usually for > 1 year)  High mobility  Expected repatriation  Privileged lifestyle  Membership in a third culture community  System identity (representing something greater than themselves)

Adopted (rare) Look different Think alike (TCK in host culture) Mirror (rare) Look alike Think alike (TCK in either culture) Foreigner Look different Think different (TCK in host culture) Hidden Immigrant Look alike Think different (TCK in “home” culture)

Expanded Worldview Benefits

 News comes alive  Greater connection with geography and history For TCK’s News Often Comes Alive: School in Northern Pakistan (1976) This area is often in the news currently

Less Prejudice Adaptability (blend in) Avoidance of some of the negative aspects of their home culture Ability to evaluate “passport culture” from an outsider’s perspective Confused Loyalties Never totally fit in Ignorance of home culture Frequent good-byes Benefits Challenges

 Cross cultural skills  Observational skills  Social skills  Linguistic ability

 Changed family dynamics  Bonding with parents Especially if the parents are adult TCKs  Simpler life style Fewer distractions Less “stuff” Less space

 Kids open doors into other cultures  With professional colleagues  In the neighborhood

 Children with special needs  Health/safety issues

 What safety issue get the most attention?  Exotic travel-related illnesses  What commonly brings families home  Common, preventable, treatable diseases  Accidents  Stress, Fatigue and depression/anxiety

 Media bias  Fear of the unknown  No place is risk-free…

 It is a good deal, encourage it  Get adequate coverage ($75,000 ?)  Be prepared to access it  Know flight times / destinations

 Helping local children  Orphanages  In the neighborhood

 Helping local children  Schools  Humanitarian aid Kids can raise money for charity Use caution and wisdom Avoid shaming people or making the feel indebted. Avoid shaming people or making the feel indebted. Work through local charity groups when possible Work through local charity groups when possible

Kids from our US community donated clothes

Together with a local charity group, we delivered them to the national school for the hearing impaired.

 Helping local children  English clubs, classes and camps  Other camps  Sports

 Helping other TCK’s  Providing child care (eg. for conferences)  Tutoring / mentoring  Welcoming new kids  Sports  School activities

 Helping with medical work  Depends on age, skills & local expectations  Home-based medical work Clinical Non-clinical (eg. consolidating samples)  Community health setting  Clinic settings  Hospital settings Premed. and Med. School electives  Safety issues

 Choose a compatible organization  Family friendly  Compatible values  Communicate with team prior to travel  Learn about the country & culture  Reach family consensus before going  Establish healthy family traditions and functioning prior to leaving

 Language and cultural learning  Learn the gracious language first  Learn some prior to going  Home tutor vs. school  Plan margin  Limit expectations  Save time and energy for your family

 Children reflect the parents  Attitude toward host culture  Language and cultural learning  Flexibility /adaptibility

 Local school  Home school  Correspondence school  Internet or Satellite school  International school  School for MK’s  Boarding school  Schooling in home country

 Prepare you kids for communicating in their “passport culture”  Few people will be very interested in hearing about their experiences  Travel stories may be viewed as bragging  Share in “bit-sized bits”  Demonstrate interest in their passport culture

 Be aware of cultural differences  Socializing  Shopping/choices  Clothing  Meet with others who shared the experience or similar experiences  Resources  Reentry conferences  TCK magazines/books

 Maintain language skills  Use special interests as a door back into groups in the “passport culture”  Sports teams  Music  Speech  Drama

 Involving your children in global experiences is very beneficial  It will shape their outlook on life forever  It can make your family closer, if done properly

 Pollock and Van Reken. The Third Culture Kid Experience: Growing Up Among Worlds. Yarmouth, Maine: Intercultural Press,  Blomberg and Brooks. Fitted Pieces: A Guide for Educating Children Overseas. St. Claire Shores, MI: SHARE Education Services, 2001.

 Interaction International Among Worlds Magazine  TCK Academy TCK Research  3rdculturekids.blogspot.com  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Culture_Kids 