Third Culture Kids
Children who spend a significant portion of their developing years outside of their passport culture.
Third Culture Kids live outside the box, upset the status quo, captivate larger dreams, and compel those around us to examine preconceived notions and to live with deeper integrity and passion. – Cindy Brandt
List of books and other resources for parents, teens and kids to help with transition, adaptation, identity, resilience and grief.
Creative Abroad | Jerry Jones
Here’s the thing. Data is interesting but not inspiring. Facts and figures paint the picture - but creativity changes things. The data goes on for days and I soak it up. It’s powerful. Like any public information it is up for scrutiny but it drives a GREAT conversation doesn’t it? It also gives me golden insight into my family and this journey that we are on together. It helps to be informed. BUT IT DOESN’T CHANGE ANYTHING. Not by itself. I can cram my brain full of golden material, pat myself on the back for knowing it and NEVER ENGAGE MY KIDS. I can learn loads about their demographic and never learn about them. I want to ask the question, “now that I know this stuff, what can I do with it that will actually leverage this wonderful cross-cultural experience to strengthen my family? So let’s jump in. VIEW BOOKLET AS PDF
While many third-culture kids have unique advantages from growing up overseas, it’s helpful to think of the things they haven’t yet learned or had to do in the country where they’re becoming adults. TCKs can be very resilient, adaptive, and creative, but it’s still helpful to give them as many tools as possible for this transition into adulthood.
As one of the first resources to address the psychosocial challenges of TCKs this is a groundbreaking book. A must read for mental health professionals and anyone who cares for TCKs.
This website provides information and materials for families and teachers of students who are studying outside their passport country.
Professional Association of Cross-Cultural Consultants in Education
The Seven C's of Resilience | Kenneth R. Ginsburg
Resilience isn’t a simple, one-part entity. What are the ingredients of resilience? I believe there are 7 integral, interrelated components, which I call the 7 Crucial Cs – competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping, and control. KEEP READING
Fostering Humility in Your Young TCKs | Lauren Wells
Third Culture Kids are lovers of people and lovers of diversity. After all, their lives are often spent being the minority in a country that is – and is not – their own. However, I have noticed a phenomenon in my own life that I think may ring true for other TCKs as well.
We are lovers of diversity, yet we have a very difficult time accepting people in our passport country, especially when it comes time to adapt and be a part of that community. For many TCKs, this is in college. We have spent our whole lives being unique and different. Being told how special we are, how diverse our worldview is, and how different we are from kids our age back in our passport country. While these things may be true, it creates the perfect concoction for a prideful, “better-than” attitude. We go back to the country our passport says we belong to, and suddenly we don’t belong. For me, that wasn’t a surprise. I was conditioned to know that I didn’t really belong and honestly, I didn’t want to. I liked being different. KEEP READING
Our Mission:
To come alongside parents with support and encouragement as you raise your Third Culture Kids to be healthy, whole, uniquely beautiful individuals!
To educate those who support TCKs about prevention of common challenges that TCKs face in adulthood.
We Do This Through:
Workshops - Regularly offered online and in person. View our subscription plan HERE
Coaching for Parents - Equipping and encouraging parents with skills to implement preventive TCK care in ways that work specifically for their family
Training for Organizations - Providing training on TCK preventive care and how to implement it on an organizational level
Curriculum Development - Customized curriculum created for your TCK retreat or program and training for your personnel
Blog - Practical skills, personal insight, and encouragement for parents of TCKs and those who work with TCKs.
This book is a practical guide to maximizing the benefits and minimizing negative manifestations of the common challenges of the TCK life. I hope that it becomes a valuable resource for anyone who loves and supports TCKs!
The Grief Tower is a short guidebook for parents and caregivers to help TCKs process through their grief. It gives activities, conversation guides, and craft ideas all intermixed with personal narrative.
Rock, Paper, Scissors - Kids Thriving in Transition | Jerry Jones
If transition were a person he would be one of the most familiar faces in our family and my kids would know him well. The question is, “would they like him?”
Would transition be the cool uncle who brings them great gifts, opens their eyes to new things and takes them to awesome places or would he be the creepy uncle who puts them in a headlock, gives them noogies* and says, “pull my finger”?
Transition is one relationship that my kids cannot ignore. So instead of complaining about it, ignoring it or making excuses for it when we know it is coming over for the Holidays I would prefer that they develop a healthy outlook towards it. KEEP READING
The 9 Gifts TCKs bring to Missions | Rachael Green
In our increasingly transnational world, a growing number of students identify as Third Culture Kids, or TCKs. Michael Pollock, director of Daraja, defines a TCK as someone who spends a “significant part of the developmental years in a culture other than the parents’ culture.” They may grow up in multiple cultures because their parents serve as diplomats, military personnel, international teachers, missionaries, business leaders, or in other professions that require extended time away from their home culture.
Despite the challenges, TCKs have a huge potential to be cross-cultural leaders and bridge-builders in God’s global mission. In particular, TCKs have these nine gifts to bring to missions: KEEP READING
Rootfulness - The Flipside of the TCK Stereotype | Jerry Jones
It’s the plague of the “TCK” isn’t it. Kids growing up cross-culturally have been branded with a scarlet letter R. I get it. It’s an understandable, tangible way to illustrate some of the challenges that come with this life and on one level it makes tremendous sense. It goes hand in hand with all of the other bullet points in the “downsides” column. However, there is so much more to having roots than staying in one place. KEEP READING
Resources for Children with Special Needs | Peter's Wife
Peter’s Wife was conceived in a living room in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1986. Four or five women gathered to talk and share and encourage each other. They have compiled a list of links and resources for parents with children that have special needs. ACCESS LIST
The mission of Interaction International is to be a catalyst and a resource working cooperatively in the development of programs, services and publications to provide and contribute to an ongoing flow of care that meets the needs of Third Culture Kids* (TCKs) and internationally mobile families. Interaction International encourages member care, develops services and resources, provides training, and participates in worldwide strategic planning to meet the needs of--and promote quality care for--the internationally mobile individual.
Families in Global Transition believes in the capacity of the expatriate and repatriate family to transition successfully and to use the international experience for all of its human and global potential. Their goal is to support the family and provide resources for families who live, move, and work throughout the world.
TEENS & COLLEGE TRANSITION
Daraja’s mission is to care for, encourage, and equip cross-culture and Third Culture young adults through advocacy, mentoring, training, discipleship, and leadership experiences so that they will engage the world abundantly and responsively for Jesus’ sake. We want to be a support and catalyst during the transitional time between high school and college senior where TCKs can lead abundant lives while serving others. Located in Michigan.
By MKs...for MKs...growing together. Mu Kappa is a fraternal organization for MK's on college campuses across North America. Mu Kappa exists to encourage missionary kids, multi-cultural, and international students in their cross-cultural transitions to foster meaningful relationships with God, family, and others. Core Values:
Cultural — developing awareness and adjustment skills when facing the challenge of moving between cultures.
Practical — helping to provide a support structure and the practical know-how needed while adapting to the unfamiliar.
Social — encouraging social development among a kindred group to build integration skills, rather than promote isolation.
Spiritual — bonding with those of common background in a community of faith, encouragement and commitment
Born in Japan to English parents, formerly in Dubai and currently in Chile. Sound like any teenagers you know?
YouthCompass seeks to address the unique needs of mobile teens by providing caring adult role models who assist them in navigating life. Through regular events, service projects and open dialog on faith and belief, we give students the opportunity to belong and to grow: a fun community to be who they are and the chance to determine who they want to be.
Whether you are coming home to attend college or university or for a gap year, this will be a fun, challenging, and practical transition seminar for you.
As sons and daughters of global Christian workers in missions, you have had unique life experiences. At this seminar you'll find a place to understand and share your story as you embrace your past, understand the present, and prepare for your future. You will have an opportunity to celebrate your heritage, talk about what is on your heart, and build relationships with other MKs.
The Barnabas International TCK/MK Transition Seminars are designed for third-culture kids (TCKs) and missionary kids (MKs) who have just completed their high school experience overseas. The seminar provides helpful tools that prepare students for the transition back into life and college in North America. This is an opportunity to build relationships with other TCKs and at the same time learn and discuss various issues related to the transition experience.
Are you ready not just to survive, but to really thrive? For almost 30 years, Interaction International has been answering that question by preparing adolescent Third Culture Kids/TCKs and MKs, like you, through our Transition Seminars. The content is designed to be interactive, fun, insightful and if applicable, healing.
Useful tips from a friend of MacGregor's who has launched two kids to college with more on the way.
