Over 70 friends and relatives gathered in Aurora, Ill., U.S.A. this summer to celebrate the 80th birthday of Third Culture Kid author, Families in Global Transition Co-Founder and Culturs Alchemist Award honoree Ruth Van Reken.
The “Global Gathering,” the brainchild of Megan Norton-Newbanks, highlighted Van Reken’s decades of service to the globally mobile community.
In addition to the in-person attendees, many more participated virtually through pre-recorded messages. The event fostered a strong sense of connection and a collective desire to come together again.
The event also featured a keynote address by Van Reken, where she went through the history of FIGT, from its humble beginnings at her kitchen table to annual conferences prior to the global pandemic in Texas, Washington DC, the Netherlands and Thailand that attracted participants from all across the globe.
‘ENLARGING OUR TENTS’
Van Reken, who co-founded FIGT along with Christine Dowdeswell, Margie Becker and Janet Fischer, talked about how lessons from FIGT’s past can best prepare its members for the present and the future. She used the theme “Enlarging Our Tents,” in that a tent is moveable, you can take it home with you, the walls aren’t rigid, lengthened cords help make room for more and it can grow rather than being replaced.
Van Reken also gave due credit to some of the pioneers before FIGT relating to Third Culture Kids, including David Pollock, Ruth Hill Useem, Ann Baker Cottrell and Normal McCaig. Additionally, she highlighted the work of Joe Parfitt and Robin Pascoe regarding spouse/expat issues and publishing.
Further, she quoted Philip Cheale, author of the book “My God Can Be Trusted At Home and Abroad,” who wrote that “we lose our sense of self if we forget that we are the place where the past flows into the future.”
‘PLAYERS IN THE FIELD’
Van Reken recalled a conversation in 1980 with noted British American author, editor and speaker Jill Briscoe, where the latter told her: “In the end, you will be surprised with what has happened. Too many people never do anything because they don’t know how to do everything.”
The FIGT co-founder remarked that “we are working and living in the middle of an unprecedented global ‘social experiment,'” with those who are globally mobile being “players on the field, not spectators in the stands.”
“We have much to give, even as we have much to learn,” she continued.
Together, we’re part of the discovery process of how these global changes impact individuals, families, societies and nations, according to Van Reken.
Another major lesson was to celebrate when others build on your dream and do a better job than you did or can, she said.
Through all the changes at FIGT, what has stood the test of time, according to Van Reken, has been the following:
- “We care — about families, about each other, about our world.
- “We care about how we can make a difference.
- “We believe in networking across sectors.
- “Our goal is not self-promotion but finding the common threads in our experiences despite the differences in the specifics.”
Van Reken also talked about the evolution of the term “Cross-Cultural Kids,” which she noted includes not just TCKs but also hearing children of deaf adults, children of immigrants or minorities or refugees, borderlander kids, international adoptees, mixed-race kids and more.
We have much to give, even as we have much to learn.
As for the future, Van Reken implored attendees not to forget the lessons of FIGT, notably:
- “You have a unique assignment in the history of the world — if you don’t do it, nobody else can.”
- “You don’t have to wait for the experts.
- “Ask: What is the one thing you can do next?
- “Know when you need help.
- “Celebrate when others build on your dream.”
Energized by this momentum, several conversations emerged among the attendees around rekindling in-person events within the FIGT community.
