EARCOS Sponsored Weekend Workshop: Expat Teens Talk with Dr. Lisa Pittman, Diana Smit and other guest presenters
It's about the challenges Third Culture Kids face and how to deal with them.
Where: UWCSEA East Campus
When: Saturday 1 September 8:30-16:30 and Sunday 2 September 8:30-15:00
Cost: US$50 (SG$63) includes snacks and lunch both days
Register now
| ‘Expat Teens Talk’ recognizes the challenges that teens are faced with when growing up as Expats (Dr. Lisa Pittman and Diana Smit) |
| Dr. Lisa Pittman- Co-author of ‘Expat Teens Talk’, Lisa is a practicing psychologist who has worked in Monocultural and Expatriate settings. She counsels children, adolescents, and their families on a wide range of social, emotional, behavioral, and psychological issues. | ‘Expat Teens Talk’ recognizes the challenges that teens are faced with when growing up as Expats, and is a ‘must read’ for Expat Teens, Expat Parents, and Expat Professionals (including teachers, principals, and counselors). This book provides a unique platform where Expat Teens, worldwide, have been given the opportunity to share their personal stories, experiences, challenges, issues, and questions related to the impact of a transient lifestyle on life as a teenager. In return, they receive advice, solutions, and support from the three groups that are most important to them: their fellow Expat Peers, other Expat Parents, and Expat Professionals.
In this workshop participants will:
- Understand and identify that the needs of Expat Teens are different than their monocultural peers and that there are valuable resources for them and for those who interact and support them
- Learn the 'tools and strategies' to empower the Expat Teens they work with by being able to continue the 'dialogue' of identifying and meeting their needs.
- Have an increased awareness and understanding of who the 'Expat' experts are and share their research and findings to enable teachers, counselors, principals and administration staff of International Schools to better understand and therefore support the well being needs of their student populations.
- Be aware of what the real issues are as identified by global statistics.
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 | Diana Smit (M. Ed. Spec. Ed.) – Co-author of ‘Expat Teens Talk’, Diana is an Educational Therapist who supports the academic needs of International students as a result of their specific learning difficulties. She is the mother of three Expat Teens who only know Expat life, having never lived in either of their two passport countries. As a family, the Smit’s have had eight international moves. |
| When Expat Kids Transition for College/University: What are the unique challenges and how to cope with them? (Tina Quick) |
 Tina Quick, author ofThe Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition, is a cross-cultural trainer, writer and international speaker. She is an adult Third Culture Kid (ATCK), and has raised her own TCKs across four cultures and continents. She currently serves as Program Chair on the Board of Directors of Families in Global Transition (FIGT), and is on the Advisory Board of TCKid. In addition, she is a member of the Overseas Association of College Admissions Counseling. Tina works closely with colleges and universities, as well as domestic and international schools. | This highly interactive session will review the Third Culture Kid (TCK) profile with an emphasis on how their lives differ in comparison to domestic peers. It will look at the
skills and benefits that arise from a globally mobile childhood as well as the challenges TCKs face when stepping out of the third culture where they enjoyed shared experience with others. It will introduce the “Four Pearls” of college transition – the four most common stumbling blocks to a successful adjustment. And lastly, it will help educators and counselors understand how they can prepare and support global nomads in their upcoming college/university transitions.
In this workshop participants will:
- Gain a solid understanding of the Third Culture Kid experience and what happens when transitioning out of the shared experience of the expatriate culture.
- Be able to identity the most common challenges TCKs face when repatriating or transitioning to another host country for the college/university experience.
- Understand how families, educational staff, and counselors can prepare and support expat students who are making a cultural transition for their continued education.
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| "Full Speed Ahead" Going From One International Assignment to the Next International Assignment (Julia Simens) |
 Julia Simens, counselor, author, educator and consultant, focuses on international relocation, family therapy and early childhood education. Author of "Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child", Julia is often asked her opinion for topics related to children and transitions, and is a frequent speaker at educational/business conferences. She has been cited in many family publications. | School Counselors study many topics. We will look at a research study about "Full Speed Ahead" Going From One International Assignment to the Next International Assignment. We are also looking at the benefits and pitfalls of going back to your passport country between assignments. Purpose of the research study: To (a) investigate an attitude towards relocation (b)identify facilitators and barriers in relocation.
In this workshop participants will:
- Understand what International families feel is their biggest benefit for moving their family from one international assignment to the next international assignment.
- Be able to clarify the three biggest concerns about doing back-to-back international assignments.
- Discover what families feel would be the biggest benefit of going home (passport country) between international assignments.
- Have exposure to how parents’ feelings about transitions differ from their children.
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| Why do some kids thrive while others struggle? How does being a TCK and part of an internationally mobile community either help or hinder a child’s or teen’s development? (Becky Grappo) |
| Rebecca (Becky) Grappo, M.Ed., is founder of RNG International Educational Consultants. She is a frequent presenter on the topic of global mobility and its impact on young people. Rebecca also does placements for boarding schools, boarding schools for learning disabilities, therapeutic boarding schools and programs, and works with students on American college applications. She is also an online course instructor at the University of California – Irvine. | Why do some kids thrive while others struggle? How does being a TCK and part of an internationally mobile community either help or hinder a child’s or teen’s development? How can the adults in these young peoples lives, whether they be parents, teachers, counselors, community leaders, etc, contribute to the possibility that all can learn to thrive? And when things just don’t work out, what are the alternative options?
In this workshop participants will learn:
- The factors that encourage TCKs to be resilient and thrive.
- The risk factors that are common in TCKs who struggle.
- Ways that all school personnel can be part of the early warning system.
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| What are the effects of a globally nomadic childhood? Can these students become true cultural bridges? (Alice Wu) |
 Alice Wuteaches international students and works as an intercultural consultant at Cornell University. She has lived, studied, and worked in England, Finland, and Sweden. She produced two videos about college-age global nomad students in 1994 and 2001 at Cornell University. She enjoys writing and doing presentations about global nomads. | What are the effects of a globally nomadic childhood? Can these students become true cultural bridges? How does a GN background influence future life choices and how can one best utilize the gifts of this type of background?
In this session, we will view clips of college age global nomad student panelists from a variety of schools and backgrounds, who participated in two videos produced at Cornell University in 1994 and 2001. Using clips from the original videos and from recent interviews with some of the same student panelists (now adults), we will learn about the influences of a GN background on their current life choices.
The panelists also discuss the long-term effects of this type of background and offer advice to global nomads and those working with them.
In this workshop participants will:
- Increase their understanding of some of the benefits, challenges, and needs of students with globally nomadic backgrounds, by viewing video clips of college age GN student panelists.
- Increase their awareness of the influences and long term effects of a global nomad background on past, current, and future life choices, by viewing video clips of recent follow up interviews and seeing results of a recent on-line follow up survey of these students.
- Hear advice and suggestions from global nomad student panelists about how to best aid these students in utilizing the gifts of this type of background.
- Share and discuss related experiences and advice.
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| A personal account from an expatriate mother whose teenage daughter developed severe major depression and bulimia (Kay Chapman) |
 Originally from England,Kay Chapmanis a trailing spouse with three children who has lived in Singapore, Scotland and the US. The family’s transitory life had an indirect effect on one of her children, who suffered from severe depression and bulimia. She will discuss the major issues relating to these illnesses. | The workshop will begin with a personal account from an expatriate mother whose teenage daughter developed severe major depression and bulimia –“invisible” illnesses which we as a family found hard to recognize, and which the school were never aware of, seeing only a flourishing “A” student. Addressed will be the added difficulties the family faced in handling these mental health illnesses whilst living in an unfamiliar country without extended family, and without company or school support, and where medical and health insurance systems are unfamiliar. Discussed will be the treatments employed and how the family developed an understanding of these diseases, resulting in their daughter’s recovery
In this workshop participants will:
- Understand better teenage mental problems and eating disorders and the problems faced by the expatriate family in trying to seek recovery.
- Gain an understanding of the importance of seeking professional help, and the team effort required from health professionals, family and school.
- Gain an understanding of the importance of encouraging healthy eating habits and lifestyle, and communicating better with our teenagers.
- Overcome the stigma attached to mental health illnesses.
Dr. Pittman will expand upon the discussion of mental illnesses and introduce signs and symptoms that educational staff should be aware of. |
| Fitting in While Hanging On: Supporting Individual and Cultural Identity for Teens in Transition (Elizabeth Kelly and Jill Kristal) |
| Elizabeth Vennekens-Kelly is an intercultural trainer, consultant and author. Elizabeth was a healthcare executive, before relocating to Europe where she has combined her business experience, familiarity of expat living and intercultural knowledge to help individuals develop the cultural competencies they need to be successful. She is a member of various organizations: FAWCO, SIETAR and FIGT. | This interactive and entertaining workshop will address the dual tasks required of expatriate teens – How does one assimilate and integrate into a new country, school and peer group while also embracing and maintaining a sense of personal and cultural identity? The process of adjustment that comes with relocation and how teens are specifically impacted by this transition will be explored. How teens go about determining the social currency of their new surroundings will be discussed. Finally, the importance and value of individual and cultural identities particularly promoting cultural respect will be addressed. The presenters will offer relevant information and hands-on activities that will enhance participants learning and provide tools they can use in their classrooms and schools.
In this workshop participants will:
- Enhanced their understanding of the adjustment process that comes with relocation and living as an expatriate.
- Improve their awareness of cultural identity and the role it plays in a teen’s life.
- Learn new, fun ways to stimulate important and necessary cultural diversity dialogs with teen populations in the various schools.
- Understand best practices of sharing and building cultural understanding and tolerance.
- Become aware of indicators that adjustment is not proceeding as expected and tips for addressing this issue.
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| Jill Kristal, PhD, President, is recognized for two decades of expertise assisting executives, their families and companies through relocation transitions. She is a featured speaker and writer on relocation and life transitions for corporations, service organizations, educational institutions and international publications. Dr. Kristal is a practicing clinical psychologist and served for 12 years as Executive Director of the American Counseling Center in London, England. Since repatriating to New York with her family, she has established a private practice treating children and adults and served as Special Education Consultant to School Choice International. |
| Who Am I, Really?
Why the Growing Cultural Complexity of Students in the Classroom_Matters to Educators (Ruth Van Reken) |
 Ruth E. Van Reken is an international speaker, co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds,and co-founder/past chairperson of Families in Global Transition. Ruth has lived, as well as studied, this experience. For more than twenty-five years, she has traveled extensively, working with families and educators to help them understand why a cross-cultural, highly mobile childhood matters. Currently, she is exploring how lessons from the TCK experience can be applied to other types of cross-cultural childhoods. | In today’s world, children often grow up in culturally complex worlds. What makes their experiences different from traditional diversity models? Why does this ‘new normal’ matter for educators working with them? What strategies help these students maximize their potential? Explore these and other questions through an interactive webinar.
In this workshop participants will:
- Understand reasons or ways globalization has changed the face of international schools.
- Discover three ways they can proactively learn more about their students’ cultural environment at home and in their communities outside of the school.
- Discover three ways they can translate what they learn from listening to the student’s life story to useful strategies for helping each child develop the strengths of a cross-cultural childhood into practical skills needed in a globalizing world.
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