The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2022 39 Helping children to say goodbye and maintain connections is important. The Transition Center’s courses and webinars offer parents a great place to gather information, learn best practices, share com- mon concerns, and find unique solutions to shared challenges of living and thriving in the foreign affairs community. Bringing the Overseas Experience to Life For years, the Transition Center’s Overseas Briefing Center has hosted the annual KidVid Contest in collaboration with the Foreign Service Youth Foundation, where young videographers submit their footage and commentary on life at their current overseas location. The collection provides a glimpse into life overseas from the perspective of TCKs and has grown to include experiences at posts in all regions of the world, while on evacuation status and during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many children, word descriptions of overseas living do not bring to life what they may see and experience at a new post. View- ing real pictures and footage gives children a realistic look and feel for what is to come. Cultural awareness, another gift that TCKs pick up during their international experiences, proves valuable over the course of a lifetime. To further a child’s knowledge, the OBC offers young members of our community access to CultureGrams, a ProQuest product that includes a Kids CultureGrams series. When researching a country, children can learn about local customs and traditions, food, holidays, history, some common phrases and country statistics. Amid frequent relocations, Foreign Service children often miss the opportunity to process the experience in a meaning- ful and constructive way. To facilitate adapting to the many changes TCKs encounter, the OBC, in collaboration with CEFAR, created “The Amazing Adventures of [Me]: A Guided Journal to My International Move” with a companion Par- ent Guide. This interactive resource is filled with activities to encourage curiosity and discovery, quotes from real kids, and games to prompt discussion. The Parent Guide facilitates discussions between children and parents as they process and prepare for an international move. The Overseas Briefing Center’s newest resource, also devel- oped in collaboration with CEFAR, was designed especially for middle schoolers. This “tweens” age group often deeply feels the emotional ups and downs of change, including when it comes to their mobile lifestyle. “Transitions” is the first “zine” in a series of five based on the concept of a graphic novel but in short- magazine format. Zines tell the stories of FS kids who travel from post to post and their struggle to find their place in the world. Whether dealing with the complications of a move, figuring out a new school or finding new friends, zines cover topics that most TCKs can relate to and include age-appropriate ways to deal with common issues they may encounter. One parent noted that “Transitions” helped prompt a discussion about a familiar thought among tweens: “I’mmoving any- way, so it doesn’t matter.”The feeling that a move means forgetting about friends and not resolving issues before leaving is com- mon among tweens. Yet keeping in touch with friends and family helps TCKs make new friends, share new discoveries and take advantage of new experiences. They can learn to celebrate the adventure of self- discovery. When supported by communication within the family, with extended family members and friends in a variety of places, a community emerges that provides a sense of belonging wherever a child may be. With so many different types of transitions and so many to- dos, it can be challenging to keep up with it all. The Transition Center’s Foreign Service Assignment Notebook: What Do I Do Now ? is a go-to resource for adults that covers important aspects of the Foreign Service experience. The 32-chapter publication answers many of the questions frequently posed by families who take children abroad. Whatever your question, you may find the answer in this resource, so it is helpful to have on hand. Reach out to FSITransitionCenter@state.gov to learn more about these courses and resources, as well as other TC programs. TC welcomes feedback from foreign affairs fami- lies and encourages suggestions for future programming and services. n This interactive Transition Center resource for young children comes with a Parent Guide. U.S.DEPARTMENTOFSTATE