X-Expats’ Open Talks Series: Casual Conversations with Ruth Van Reken – Part 3

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Casual Conversations with Ruth Van Reken
PART 3/3: Diversity and Inclusion Programs

Ruth Van Reken is a second generation Adult Third Culture Kid* (ATCK) who has raised three TCKs herself. For more than twenty-five years, Ruth has traveled nationally and internationally to help others understand why a cross-cultural childhood matters. She is co-founder of Families in Global Transition and co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

X-E: More and more public and private organizations are committed to develop and maintain global diversity and inclusion programs. What are your recommendations for these initiatives to be rewarding for both the entity and the individual? » Read more

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X-Expats’ Open Talks Series: Casual Conversations with Ruth Van Reken – Part 2

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Ruth Van Reken is a second generation Adult Third Culture Kid* (ATCK) who has raised three TCKs herself. For more than twenty-five years, Ruth has traveled nationally and internationally to help others understand why a cross-cultural childhood matters. She is co-founder of Families in Global Transition and co-author of Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds.

X-E: In view of the increasing diversity in the US and other countries, have the principles and frameworks used to distinguish and define cultural identity kept up with these changes? How do individuals who may have been influenced by two or more cultures fit in the current models? » Read more

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X-Expats’ Open Talks Series: Casual Conversations with Ruth Van Reken – Part 1

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Part 1/3: Globalization and Global Mindedness

Ruth Van Reken is a second generation Third Culture Kid* (TCK) – another name for a child who grows up for a significant period of time in a culture outside the parents’ passport culture(s). Her US American father was born and raised in Iran and Ruth was born and raised in Kano, Nigeria. Her first daughter was born in Monrovia, Liberia where all three of her daughters were raised, while Ruth’s oldest grandchild was born in Accra, Ghana. In other words, her family has four generations of US Americans born outside the USA! » Read more

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In memory of David C. Pollock, A man ahead of his time: June 9, 1939 – April 11, 2004

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DavidPollockFor many, many adult TCKs, our “aha!” moment when we realized we had a name came as we sat in Dave Pollock’s lecture on The TCK Profile or read one of his early articles about this topic. Although Ruth Useem, sociologist from Michigan State University, coined the term Third Culture Kids in 1960, Dave was the person who translated it from an academic idea to making a difference in the lives of those who were living it.

While living in Kenya near an international school in the 1970s, Dave heard many common themes from the students he interacted with from that school. In time Dave, a master synthesizer of distilling these recurring themes into easily accessible models, created his landmark TCK Profile and one of the first models of transition which he simply called The Transition Experience.  When he  returned to the States, Dave resumed leadership of an organization called Interaction, Inc. whose purpose was to help organizations sending families overseas to care for them well. He and Paul Nelson chaired the first international conference on matters related to TCKs in October, 1984 in Manila, Philippines. » Read more

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