Why is it so important?

What is "TCK" training?

For too long, we have overlooked the children of our overseas workers.

No parent should have to choose between their children and their work. Unfortunately, we see this happen all the time among our global workers. Having grown up overseas, Sarah Catherine saw this tension firsthand. The field is a hard place. We need to be supporting and training these kids just as we do with their parents. Traumas like war, famine, poverty, injustice, and sickness are right outside their home. These experiences take a toll that we are just beginning to study.

CDC Kaiser Study

The CDC and Kaiser study something they call Adverse Childhood Experiences or "ACES." They are listed in the graph to the right, which shows how different the concerns are for third culture kids compared to those of the general population.

These differences make sense. As much as we would like to, we can't protect our children from all of the ACEs that they will experience overseas. It can be hard to support your kids fully when you are away from your community and experiencing the culture stress yourself. That's where a team of trainers and caregivers can come alongside families. Knowing these unique challenges should shape how we prepare the kids of our workers to go with their parents overseas. It impacts the things we focus on for their continued training throughout their childhood.

Effects of ACES

TCKs are almost twice as likely to experience more than 4 aces. This leads to a higher risk of things like mental health issues, social struggles, substance abuse, and even some cancers.

But there is good news!

Rather than focusing on trying to avoid the adverse childhood experiences, our team takes a more hopeful approach. We focus on what are called "positive childhood experiences" or PCEs. When these PCEs are present, they can offset some of the negative effects of the ACEs and build resilience in the kids. One PCE that can be difficult for our more remote families is having two trusted adults besides your parents that you can talk to. The more Sarah Catherine consistently visits the fields and spends time with the families, the more she is able to educate and become a trusted adult for these kids. If we are intentional, we can support our most isolated kids by facilitating PCE's and keeping an eye out for ACE's.

There is no CPS.

There is no fallback if something goes wrong

Many of these kids are isolated. They have their immediate family, people like Sarah Catherine, and the organization's HR. Outside of the US, they are isolated from both extended family and from the services and safety nets that we count on. If there is a child safety issue, people like Sarah Catherine can be the lifelines that kick into gear all the processes we have to protect kids.

How is Sarah Catherine making a difference?

Sarah Catherine is writing programs that are trauma-informed and specifc to Third Culture Kids. Programs that hold more context and relevance than a typical Vacation Bible School. She is also leading regular debriefs and teaching teams before they go about how to relate and form genuine connections with these special kids.

Many of our teams gather together once or twice a year for continued training and mutual encouragement. Sarah Catherine's goal is to make that a priority for the kids as well. Her goal is not to keep our families healthy so that their parents can stay on the field, though that is often an added bonus. The goal is to love, support, train, and encourage these kids because they are worthy of it all on their own.