Themes For The Eurotck 2010 Conference

Children in crisis situations

Evacuations forced by medical emergencies, military conflicts, political unrest and sudden departures forced by visa refusal or other pressures force crises on many of our families. These crises are not restricted to any one part of the world or type of situation. How do families cope when facing the risks in such situations? What should agencies be aware of to support them? When should the agency pull its families out? What effects do we see in children in crisis situations and what about support for the whole family after the traumatic events? High profile kidnappings of aid and development workers, along with the risks to their children, make this a vital theme for Eurotck 2010.

Speakers - Annemie Grosshauser & Yolanda Jerrard

Safeguarding children and Vulnerable adults

Child abuse of some form is rarely out of the headlines. Every agency works with children and vulnerable adults in some way and as Christians we believe that we should be at the forefront of good practice in this area. However working across international boundaries brings with it many difficulties - communication, the legal situation in both countries of origin and service, capacity of local government structures, the international nature of the agency or church involved. Robust policies need to be backed with best practice in reality. This session will have a TCK focus, but in the context of protecting all children and vulnerable adults. It will consider what we mean by abuse, recruitment issues and vetting for staff, safeguarding procedures in situations where abuse is prevalent, how to deal with and report appropriately in situations where misconduct is alleged and what to do when allegations seem to have foundation. There will also be input from discussions with the Child Safety Network set up by by some US-based mission agencies.

Speaker - Martin Lee

Good Practice in european tCK support

Following on from the success of this theme at Eurotck 2007, representatives from each country and from various support groups will highlight what is happening across Europe to support TCKs and their families both in the passport country and in those where they serve.

Speakers - from across Europe

Caring For carers

Who looks after TCK workers and what should they do? This short plenary talk will consider the implications of these questions in terms of providing ongoing support for the support workers. There will be a consideration of the whole range of needs - practical, emotional and spiritual. Knowing that prevention of burn-out is better than trying to cure it, there will also be consideration of ways to ensure that this happens.

Speaker - Marjory Foyle

2010 Seminar and Workshop Themes

There will be a choice of at least two workshops at any time, broadly divided into educational and welfare issues. Each seminar or workshop will last 1½ hours, the descriptions below all indicate whether the theme will be covered in a single or a double session. All of the workshops are interactive with discussion time built in; we want to combine the expertise that we will have gathered together for Eurotck 2010.

Welfare Issues

Care From the word go (Double)

The theory of providing support for our children from the time the parents first apply to work cross-culturally through to adulthood is well established. But, what about the practice? These sessions will encourage and challenge us to look again and sharpen up in areas where agencies have often missed out or not reached the standards of good practice that we aspire to.

Presenter - Kezia Schoonveld (WEC & MK Focus Netherlands)

Preparing Children to Live Cross-culturally (Single)

Shifting cultures can be exciting, but also an abrupt shock for children as much as for adults. The familiar faces, sights and sounds are left behind to be replaced with the unknown. We need to prepare our children for cross-cultural living both before the transition when our children are still in the passport country and straight away after arrival in the host society. Good preparation can't take away the adjustment, but it can provide children with the tools they need to make it work. Janet and Yolanda will share from their experiences of single agency pre-field orientation courses which run for a few weeks to a one day inter-agency PFO which they run on the 13th March!

Presenters - Janet Chapman (OMF UK & Re-Konnect), Yolanda Jerrard (NTM Europe)

The Next Chapter, including Organising Re-entry events (Double)

"It is one of the laws of life that one stage successfully completed prepares the way for the next, while failure at one stage lays a heavy handicap on the next" (Paul Tournier)
Transition can be defined as the movement of people from one stage of life to another, from one place to another, from one cultural context to another. TCKs go through multiple transitions, none greater than re-entry. This session will give an overview of transition and explore the issues arising for TCKs. There will be more emphasis on asking the right questions than on producing answers. It will lead into the two following sessions which are a more practical approach to helping TCKs through transition.  (Marion)
The second one will be divided into two groups looking at re-entry events for older and younger children.
1. This workshop will provide you with a personal action plan for parents to use in creating a support network as their young adult children are repatriated to their home country or go through transition to another country for university study. We will also briefly cover aspects of developing a residential ministry for college-age TCKs and the philosophy and curriculum for the Barnabas TCK Transition Seminars. (Kronbachs)
2. In 2001 two Janets launched ReKonnect in the UK. 2010 sees the 8th re-entry camp for TCKs aged 6 - 12. Janet  will share some of the ingredients of these 5-day inter-agency camps and significant factors which have led to them getting established. Time will be given to ways of adapting ideas to work with families, and smaller or larger groups of TCKs, as well as welcoming contributions from others who have run events for this age group. (Janet)

Presenters - Marion Knell (UK Global Connections), David & Janet Kronbach (Barnabas International), Janet Chapman (OMF UK and Re-Konnect re-entry camps)

Debriefing (Single)

Debriefing children is recognised as best practice, but often doesn't happen. Debriefing gives the children the opportunity to express their joys, concerns and fears when they come back to their passport country - either for home leave or for good. Depending on thier age we have to choose appropriate ways to help them talk. Some of the content comes out of applying material from the Debriefing workshop presented at Eurotck 2007 by Janet Chapman and Gill Cheffy. In this workshop we will present you with different methods, including things to do and not to do. Dr. Debbie Lovell Hawker will talk about recognising the signs that indicate a child needs further help and will explain to us how she would go through that process.

Presenters Debbie Hawker (Interhealth), Kathi Schmid (OMF Switzerland)

Bi-Cultural Marriage (Single)

Is bicultural marriage better or worse? What do we need to know beforehand? How can we help? Dealing with differences. Wania will lead this session in considering these and other questions.
Bi-cultural marriage in international mission agencies is very much the norm. Typically the rate is 20 - 25% of all marriages in the most internationalised organisations. The additional issues presented by the cross-cultural element, particularly for the children, will be covered.

Presenters - Wania Honman (WEC Brasil & UK), Claudio Muzzi (Argentina & UK)

Cross-cultural Families (Single)

This seminar will look at how families can not only survive, but thrive cross-culturally - the joys and pains of bringing up children in a different culture, plus the costs and the benefits. Let us introduce you to your child. Claudio will be the main presenter.

Presenters - Claudio Muzzi (Argentina & UK), Wania Honman (WEC Brasil & UK)

Psychologically Healthy Children (Single)

Stress and burn-out are some of the most common reasons for workers to leave their country of service. Many of these same stresses can affect children and leave them with psychological struggles with long-term impacts. How can we recognise the problems, prevent them if possible and help children resolve them if they occur?
This seminar will also include the presentation of data being gathered for a PhD thesis on the formation of TCK communities. Rachel is currently involved in field work and has already visited West Africa for a detailed study of one MK school. Although her research does not focus primarily on TCK stress, she will be partly presenting on stresses that she sees as particular to the TCK lifestyle that she encountered during her recent field work in a W African MK school.

Presenters - Marjory Foyle (Psychiatrist), Rachel Cason (Keele University researcher)

Theories of Attachment (Single)

Attachment theory deals with the child's need for security and his/her attachment to parents, who represent a haven for safety and comfort, and a secure base for play and exploration. The theory is a good starting point for understanding children's reactions to separation and loss, and understanding interpersonal relations between adults. Special features of the childhood of MKs will be considered in the context of this theory, and there will be time for questions and discussion.

Presenters - Bjoern & Solveig Lande (Member Care Norway)

Support for TCKs in the Host Country (Single)

What are the care issues that we need to address for the MK and TCK?
How can care givers address these issues in the context of the host country?
What help can care givers give to the parents of the MK/TCK when they are in the host country?
Bill desires that this workshop provide opportunities for participants to share what they have learnt, create networks with others providing care, and that all come away better equipped to support mission families.

Presenter - Guillermo (Bill) Eddy (Operacion Bernabe)

Education Issues

   

Long Term Planning for Success (Single)

It is essential to plan for the future from the moment a family considers moving cross-culturally. The agency and the family need to work together and set priorities in education - essential issues such as when and how to teach mother tongue literacy and if and when to make any major changes of educational option. It is also vital that home leave and re-entry times be planned with the needs of the whole family in mind. The seminar will also stress the need for flexibility when faced with real situations and the challenges they present.

Presenter - a UK based education consultant with many years experience in planning for long-term success

English Language Learning for TCKs (Single)

For many Europeans the principal language of education will not be the mother tongue, but English. This is because so many international schools, including those set up by our agencies, are English-language dominated. Learning English is therefore essential if children are to study there. What can parents do to better prepare their children and help the school and what does the school need to do to teach English language to its students of all ages. This theme has huge relevance outside of Europe as well with the many Koreans in our agencies and the growing numbers of Latin Americans.

Presenter - Gill Bryant (WEC International & Wiltshire College ESOL teacher)

Non-traditional Education Options (Single)

European families may be concerned about serving in places where traditional schooling options are not available. When there is no formal school for full-time first language (mother tongue) education what are the options for cross-cultural workers? What are the benefits and challenges for families who use "non-traditional" schooling options, including various models of home schooling? What kind of support is needed and where can it come from? What are the factors that can make non-traditional education a blessing rather than a burden?

Presenter - Moira Smith (OMF International)

Europeans in International Schools (Double)

The reality of most international schools, including those specifically set up by mission agencies, is that they provide an excellent education - in English. They also tend to be largely staffed by Americans. The implications of this will be considered, especially in terms of the cultural and linguistic issues for students planning on re-entry for university or further education. We will also hear about the latest developments in the Bologna Process that seeks to create a European Higher Education Area with standardised recognition of US school qualifications. There will also be information presented from survey data done by the EIMESC (European Inter-mission Education Standing Council) group, plus the development of the ideas and recommendations they made at Eurotck 2007 and afterwards.
We will have reports of good practice in teaching the first language (mother tongue) as well as academic English. The second seminar will highlight good practice around the mission world, both from agencies and the schools we have established.
Christine and Alison will outline the new international model that BCS has developed: a model which involves a variety of first language (mother tongue) units which revolve around a central English-medium curriculum.
Ann will speak about the problems of communication in our schools and bring some suggestions for solutions. This will include the problems amongst the different English-speaking teachers/students as well as those with other first language issues.

Presenters - Christine Bryant & Alison Caligari (Bourofaye Christian School), Ann Christian (SIM), Carola Keil (MK Care Germany)

Multilingualism (Single)

Multilingualism is mostly a huge advantage in so many ways. It is very much the norm across most of the world. This seminar will consider these advantages, but also some of the challenges it presents in terms of literacy skills and the development of academic proficiency in multiple languages. We will be hearing from a number of people who grew up multilingual, and from others who are raising their own children multilingually, with the goal of connecting good theory with real-life practice. 

Presenters - Gill Cheffy (SIL), Angelika Jentzsch (MK Care Germany), Mirjam McWhinnie (WEC Switzerland), Belinda Ng (SIM International)

TCK Research & Its application (Single)

There have been a few efforts over the years to gather enough research data together to make objective conclusions about TCK education and welfare. The biggest one of these to date has been the MK Cart Core with their findings in "The Family in Mission". A major initiative by the Norwegian agencies has seen around 1500 TCKs involved - the biggest one ever in Europe. Their findings are relevant to all of us across Europe and beyond, and have implications for the way we advise and care for our families and our TCKs. The research will be presented with a view to stimulating questions and discussion about those implications.

Presenters - Aslaug Austbo & Kari Margrethe Solvang

Special Educational Needs (Single)

Should parents take children with special educational needs overseas? If they do, what support can agencies, friends and family with educational expertise in the home countries, and international MK schools provide? This seminar will consider these questions in the light of real experiences with a range of special needs such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, AD(H)D, Asperger's Syndrome, speech and language problems and others. Alison is trained in special needs and implemented policies and good practice in this area while at Bourofaye Christian School in Senegal.

Presenter - Alison Caligari (WEC International Associate)

Other Sessions

Country Specific Groups

We plan to have a session where delegates from each country can meet with compatriots to discuss the issues specific to them, exchange ideas and respond to what they have heard in plenary talks and workshop discussions. Often it can be difficult to get everyone together on a regular basis, so we want to provide the format for good discussion without time pressure given that so many are there already.

Teachers' and educational consultants' discussion group

The intention of this session is to provide a forum for discussion of TCK educational issues that specifically concern us. There will be scope to develop issues that are raised in other seminars and workshops as well as raising other subjects for discussion, such as
1. Current agency practice for supervision of education in the host country - how can this be supportive, rather than seen as surveillance? 
2. Recruitment of teachers (or lack of)
3. Training - of tutors; of all staff in general cross-cultural and TCK-specific orientation; of gap-year and actively retired volunteers as teachers
4. Educational support groups such as SHARE, AERC and Anchor
5. Agencies relating to international schools,
6. Other possibilities - study in host country schools, setting up cooperative schools........
This is very much an open forum, and we are welcoming ideas from those who plan to be in this group in advance. We want to scratch where our delegates itch! Contact Steve Bryant with ideas over the next couple of weeks.

Group discussion leader - Steve Bryant (WEC International)

Feedback and discussion sessions

Two sessions have been timetabled for the whole group to bring feedback for further questions and discussions based on the content of the talks and workshops. These will take place in the evenings.

Free Time

The Middle Afternoon (Tuesday 30th) is Free Time.

Things to do

Explore Peñiscola
This town of around 7500 people is on the coast almost midway between Valencia and Barcelona. It is a popular family holiday resort with sandy beaches. The original town was built on a rocky peninsula (Peñiscola is a local derivation of peninsula) around the ancient castle which was used as one of the scenes for the 1960 El Cid epic film. There is also a lighthouse, plus ancient churches and other buildings to be visited.

But if you prefer....
You could just rest, or stay around the conference centre and spend time informally talking with other delegates. One of the huge benefits of the conference is the opportunity to build up a network of contacts all across Europe and share experiences together.