Intercultural
Success is responding to a growing need to include the whole family, not just the parents, in any workshop. Therefore the
aim is to include children in a structured but enjoyable programme.
All the workshops run for children
are tailored to the precise needs of each family. Each workshop is specifically tailored to the ages, backgrounds, interests
and concerns of the children attending. There are too many issues and too many variations in families to standardise a programme.
All programmes have four main objectives:
· To
make the child feel included in the moving process
·
To provide information which will ease the transition
·
To clear up any possible areas of misunderstanding about their new home and environment
· To make the move
fun
This third objective is particularly concerned with differences in what
is or is not acceptable behaviour, as well as variations in the style of English used. For example, it
is acceptable and encouraged for a child to ask ‘why’ to an adult in some countries but is viewed as disrespectful
in others. It should be noted that although use of English is looked at, there is also a brief introduction
to the destination country’s own language or languages.
The
five most significant benefits are as follows:
· The whole moving process seems to be starting
and therefore the feeling of limbo or being in transition lessens.
·
The children start to think of the move from their parents’ point of view. They
seem to particularly appreciate the position of the accompanying spouse, usually the mother, in being more difficult than
their own.
· The
awareness that they are not alone is raised. They meet people who are dealing with similar issues, and
are introduced to Internet sites, which link expatriate families.
· The family are made aware of the need to separate
the ups and downs of life from the ups and downs of living in a new country. For example all children come
out of school at least once and say ‘no-one played with me’, and all teenagers resent their parents. · The family are already in a better position to
cope with their next move whether it is repatriation or to a further new country.