The Foreign Service Journal, June 2012

50 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J UN E 2 0 1 2 A F S A N E W S AFSA Hosts Panel on Third Culture Kids BY DAVID J. BARTON, AFSA STAFF O n April 2, AFSA hosted a panel of four experts on the challenges and rewards of raising and nurturing children while living mostly overseas. ForeignService families obviously account for a large percentage of these young peo- ple, known as Third Culture Kids, but many others fall into that category, aswell. The panel consisted of Ruth Van Reken, co-author with David C. Pollock of ThirdCulture Kids: GrowingUpAmong Worlds (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2009); curriculum design specialist and teacher Rebecca Oden; author and edu- cator Julia Simens; andRebecca Grappo, founder of RNG International Educational Consultants. AFSA President Susan Johnson moderated the lively discussion. Gearing their conversation toward the large ForeignService crowd in attendance, eachpan- elist drew on a wealth of per- sonal and professional experi- ence in educating children brought up in amobile lifestyle. Ruth Van Reken, for instance, noted that her father, himself a TCK, had imparted lessons he had learned while growing up in numerous countries around the world. “One of the things that was very important in my family was import- ed traditions, things that we did nomatter wherewewere,” she recalled. For instance, while posted in Africa her family always shared a cup of Kool-Aid every weekend, an American symbol of something that could not be purchased locally. Rebecca Grappo encouraged Foreign Service parents to focus on the strengths of their children. “You will find they become more resilient as a result,” she observed. As insightful as all the panelists were, what trulymade theevent sospecialwas the camaraderie among dozens of former Third Culture Kids in the audience, many of whom have TCKs of their own. They shared experiences, asked thoughtful and sometimes poignant questions, andcarried on a fascinating dialogue about how best to nurture these special young people. If youwould like toviewthe discussion, please visit www.afsa.org/AFSAVideos. aspx. As insightful as all the panelists were, what truly made the event so special was the camaraderie among dozens of former Third Culture Kids in the audience. (Clockwise, top left) AFSA’s panel on TCKs drew a crowd of note- takers, busy parents and one child. During the Q&A session, mem- bers of the audience lined up to ask the panelists questions, and peppered them with more at the end of the discussion. PHOTO BY DONNA AYERST