EARCOS Workshop a success!

Greetings!

We hope this message finds you all doing well! Last weekend (Sept. 1 and 2), we conducted a workshop for EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools). The workshop was opened up to members of EARCOS, as well as to school staff and parents throughout Singapore, and by the end of the weekend, the workshop was deemed a success! We were able to have presentations on a variety of topics related to Expat Teens/Global Nomads/Third Culture Kids by an equally-diverse set of presenters. Adding to the success was the incorporation of presentations using various forms of multi-media, including PREZI and SKYPE. This was truly a Global effort!

We want to take this moment to thank all of our presenters for the time, energy, and effort put forth to make this workshop a success:

Diana Smit
Dr. Lisa Pittman
Kay (and Katherine) Chapman
Rebecca Grappo
Dr. Jill Kristal

Julia Simens
Tina Quick
Ruth Van Reken
Elizabeth Vennekens-Kelly 
Alice Wu


And a very special THANK YOU to co-author, Diana Smit, and EARCOS coordinator, Caroline Meek, for all of the extra time, energy, and effort that they put forth to make sure that everything went off so smoothly! You both truly are stars!! We encourage other schools and professionals to put together similar workshops in order to continue to spread the word about issues related to and supporting Expat Life.

Enjoy these photos from the Workshop:

Tina Quick via Skype

Parent Group

Materials available by authors

Dr. Jill Kristal via Skype

Becky Grappo

Dr. Jill Kristal (Creator, "Your Move" cards) and co-presenter Elizabeth Vennekens-Kelly (Author, "Subtle Differences, Big Faux Pas")

Diana Smit and Dr. Lisa Pittman (Co-Authors, "Expat Teens Talk")

Four Things to Remember for Expat Teens

Greetings, Readers! We hope this blog entry finds you all doing well! Once again, we have a guest post to share with you. This post was written by Roxanne Porter giving advice from her perspective about things to remember when moving. As always, please note that the information shared below is that of Ms. Porter and is not a direct reflection of the authors of Expat Teens Talk.

4 Things to Remember for Expat Teens

Teens are likely to respond negatively to the announcement that they will be moving away from their friends and peer groups to a new country where they may not even speak the language. How can parents help them adjust to their new surroundings? Here are some pointers to keep culture shock at a minimum.

1. Cultural differences: Most companies offer some kind of cross-cultural training for executives and their families who are being relocated abroad. Check with your company’s Human Resources Department. Teens are much more concerned with “fitting in” than adults are. Learning how to be sensitive to your new home’s cultural cues will prevent your teen from making painful gaffes that may jeopardize his or her social acceptance.

2. Keeping In Touch: Your teen is likely to feel angry and resentful at being forced to leave his or her friends. Make sure your teen has plenty of ways to keep in touch with them. The Internet and technologies like Skype make this much easier than it has been traditionally. Digital cameras and camera phones are great ways for your teen to show off how cool his or her new home really is.

3. Safety: One of the hardest things to learn in a new environment is who to trust. Reliable social cues may no longer exist. The safest approach for you as a parent will be to demand to meet all the people your teen is spending recreational time with, even if your teen labels you as terminally uncool. Insist on check-ins. You need to know exactly where your adolescent is at all times.

Safety and security guidelines abroad are not all that different from what they are at home. Your teen should be taught to stick to well-lit streets where other people are present, and to be familiar with routes before he or she travels them, alone or in groups.

4. Money: People’s relationship with money may be very different outside the United States. In many countries in the EU, for example, people hardly ever use cash anymore. Instead they make most of their daily purchases with debit cards tied to their personal checking counts. Since your teen will need spending money, it may be wise to consider setting up a checking account for your teen.

In parts of the developing world, on the other hand, possession of cash may put your teen at risk. Pickpockets and thieves abound, and your teen will have to be schooled in ways to avoid becoming the target of these types of activities.

Relocating abroad can be stressful for adolescents. Parental support and guidance can help your teen see the expat experience for what it truly is -- the adventure so far in your teenager’s life.

Author Bio:

Roxanne Porter is a freelancer & a regular contributor for http://www.nannyjobs.org/.  She helps in providing knowledge about nanny services & love writing on nanny related articles. She helps in giving a fair knowledge about nanny Jobs to the community. You can be in touch with her at “r.poter08ATgmail.com”.