Half-term is taking its usual toll on my productivity, further compounded by health problems (three out of four members of the family are at different stages of the flu). However, I am very excited by an event that I am helping to organise in the Geneva area, which will take place on the 27th of March, so I will just very briefly blog about it (details to follow).
It is a very important topic for parents, educators, HR and relocation experts, but above all for young people who have been raised mainly outside their passport country: namely, returning 'home' for their university studies. Leaving the family and going to college is a big enough challenge for any young person, let alone when it involves moving abroad, to a country that you loosely call 'home', but which may be bewildering and strange and exotic to you.
How can schools, colleges, parents, students, counsellors and everyone work together to make this transition as smooth and successful as possible? Our main speaker of the evening will be Tina Quick, author of 'The Global Nomad's Guide to University Transition', and herself an adult Third Culture Kid and mother of Third Culture Kids, discussing the best strategies for integrating these so-called 'hidden immigrants'. We will also hear the students' own stories, as well as from a panel composed of parents, counsellors and school representatives.
This is a subject very close to my heart and, although I have another 9-10 years before my elder son is ready for university, decisions and anxieties start much earlier, as any parent knows. I will certainly start taking notes right now!
