Third Culture Kids & Parachute Kids: Building their resilience – Webinar by Families in Global Transition with Dr. Tim Stuart, Head of School at International Community School of Addis Ababa, and Dr. Jang Eun Cho, a board-certified child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist.
Indonesia Council Open Conference, 25-27 September 2023, Sydney
You can find the abstract, slides,article and additional reading below for a paper presented online for the Indonesia Council Open Conference (ICOC), 2023 as part of Panel 2.06 – Going Global: Transnationalism and Indonesia (Click here to join online).
Links to all other panels of the conference are available in the program booklet downloadable from the conference website.
Panel details
Panel 2.06 – Going Global: Transnationalism and Indonesia Tuesday 26 September, 14:00–15:30 AEST (Sydney) – Join online
From Scout to Soldier: Transnational Youth Culture and the Shaping of Indonesian Pemuda Mr Jonathan Tehusijarana
Colonial Connections in the 21st Century: Indonesia, the Netherlands, Australia Ms Jorien van Beukering
Mixed Heritage Indonesian-Japanese Youth: Growing Up in Transnational Educational Spaces Dr Danau Tanu
Indonesian ‘Host’ Experiences of Australian Study Abroad Programs in Yogyakarta, Bandung and Jakarta Mr Nurfitra Asa, Ms Elena Williams
Paper abstract
Mixed Heritage Indonesian-Japanese Youth: Growing Up in Transnational Educational Spaces Danau Tanu
This paper explores the experiences of young adults of mixed Indonesian and Japanese heritage in the context of the cultural legacy of Japanese imperialism in Asia and the contemporary regional socio-economic hierarchy. Many Indonesian-Japanese youth attend a mixture of educational institutions in Indonesia that include local schools, (overseas) Japanese schools, and/or English-medium ‘international’ schools. In each type of school, their Indonesian-Japanese heritage carries a different meaning depending on the transnational discourses that are at work on campus and whether the school’s dominant culture perceives Indonesia and/or Japan as inferior or superior. In response, the Indonesian- Japanese youth will at times perform Japaneseness while downplaying their Indonesianness or perform bicultural competence. The strategies they employ can result in ambivalent feelings about their heritage and a painful distance from their Indonesian mothers. Despite growing up in Indonesia, Indonesia’s positioning ‘in the world’ strongly influences their everyday lived experiences.
Article
The paper is based on the article ‘Are hafus “dirty” or “special”? Negotiating mixed-race identities among Japanese-Indonesian youths in Indonesia’ and new data of my current research.
This is an anonymous survey. It will take 1-3 minutes to complete.
Content:
Feedback form
Workshop description
Slide deck
Follow up on workshop discussions (about student names and translation for parents)
Resources mentioned in the session
Additional resources
Photo by Marissa&Eric on Unsplash.
Session description
What does the “inter-nation(al)” in “Seisen International School” mean? In particular, what does it mean today when international schools have increasing numbers of local and foreign students who do not come from English-speaking families?
This session is designed to help participants think about what it means to be “international” from the perspective of I-DEA (inclusivity via diversity, equity and anti-racism).
It will use an updated version of the concept of “third culture kids” to help participants understand the international school experience from the perspective of students of different racial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The session will also consider the perspectives of both the “movers” and the “stayers.”
Understanding the student perspective will help uncover the unconscious biases that can affect the way we engage with students, implement our language policies on campus, or design our curriculum. Ultimately, the aim is to help enhance our ability to create a more intentionally inclusive environment on our campuses.
Objectives
To understand the impact of the international school culture on student identity, culture and language
To understand how (unconscious) cultural biases influence the way we engage with students
To learn new ways to interpret and engage with the international school culture and to help students feel seen
Slides
The slide deck from the session is available in PDF format below.
Student names: There was some discussion about whether or not we should pronounce student names in their original language or with an English inflection. However, the main point is not about the adults deciding which pronunciation is better. Instead, it is about showing interest in the child and giving them a chance to choose how they want to be called rather than imposing our choices of names on them.
Translation for parents: There was a question about whether or not written communication for parents should be translated. In principle, I believe they should be translated, especially into the local language(s). I have also checked and found out that it is now common practice for international schools to provide translations for parents in the local language(s) and other languages used by large numbers of parents.
TCK Workshop – bilingual tutoring services in Japanese and English for Third Culture Kids (or returnee students / kikokushijo / kikokusei 帰国生 or overseas children / kaigaishjo 海外子女 ).
It includes the resources mentioned in the presentation, slide deck, and additional resources.
Description
Racism affects all students. We are all complicit in it. But how? In this keynote, I am inviting you to engage in a paradigm shift that will help reveal the way structural racism infiltrates the student experience—even in areas that may seem unrelated.
The ‘hidden curriculum’ often obscures the ‘real’, underlying issues in areas such as international transitions (including repatriation), student engagement, school-parent relations, campus social life, academic learning, and so on.
I hope that this keynote will help us see old problems in new ways and be better equipped to support students.
Aims
To challenge us to think of old ‘problems’ in new ways by:
rethinking the frameworks we use to analyse ‘problems’
ensuring fairness in the way we use these frameworks or categories
understanding that it is okay to address ‘the ugly’ in our hearts
understanding that racism affects all students
The Hidden Curriculum. Adapted from graphics designed by Mifune Takashi at irasutoya.com. Graphics copyright: Mifune Takashi.
Slide deck
The slide deck from the workshop is available in PDF format.
