Happy International TCK Day!!
Find customizable graphics for TCK Day 2023 here.
June 28 is the day to celebrate every TCK story!
To gather as a vibrant and growing community, to celebrate every TCK story, and to bring awareness to what it means to be a third culture kid. Ready?!
What is a Third Culture Kid (tck)?
Good question! Are you a TCK? Is this your day to celebrate too??
A third culture kid is someone who was raised in a culture other than their parent’s or the culture of their country of nationality, and also live in a different environment during a significant part of their child development years or see our simplified definition. You can also get it on a t-shirt!
How to Celebrate International TCK Day
There’s no wrong way to celebrate our different cultures and stories, but here are a few suggestions to get the party started:
Food! All great celebrations need to include food. Try to recreate one of your favorite foods from a home you miss or take a shopping trip and find a snack that gives you all the feels.
Share your story! Write it out, craft it, record it on a podcast or youtube, share it in a reel or tiktok, or write a social media post!
Connect with other TCKs! Reach out to a childhood friend that you haven’t talked to in a while. Search the hashtag #InternationalTCKday on Instagram and find some new friends. Or gather your family and share “highs and lows” of your last year of traveling.
DID you know?
1. most TCKs move to a new country before they turn 10!
TCKs grow up experiencing two or more cultures. They feel at home in their “host” countries while maintaining ties to their “passport” countries.
2. TCKs are different than other cross-cultural kids
because they typically retain citizenship in their parents’ passport countries or return there later. TCKs are sometimes called “hidden immigrants” because they are able to relate and adapt to multiple cultures but can also feel like outsiders, even in their passport countries.
3. The “kid” in TCK relates to childhood experiences,
not your current age, though the identifying traits stay with TCKs into adulthood. TCKs don’t always appear to have a lot in common, but we always share some common threads that make getting to know each other a unique bonding adventure.
4. TCKs don’t have to live in three different places.
Rather, they belong to a “third” created culture with its own specific traits. Often, a third culture kid’s most valued relationships are with other TCKs, even above those with family and God.
5. 70% of TCKs end up working in a cross-cultural career
or returning to a life abroad as independent adults. Have you??
connect with the TCK Community
Kaleidoscope is an organization by TCKs for TCKs. We provide consistent debrief, practical tools, and ongoing friendships for TCKs ages 7-16 through our online TCK Club!
In the TCK Toolkit, advocates and parents can find worksheets, workshops, curriculum, and resources to help see their third culture kids thrive wherever they’re at in the world.
TCK Training is a great resource for anyone who has TCKs they want to see grow into healthy adults. We have workshops, and trainings, and debriefs, and more all to help the adult in a TCK's life understand their unique needs and empower them to meet those needs. You can subscribe to our website's newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Instagram to stay up-to-date on the latest ways we've found to support you.
Anna at Global Mobility Trainer is a trainer and coach with 40+ years of expat experience. She’s raising her own TCKs in a cross-cultural marriage and knows what keeps you awake at night - as a parent and as an individual. Her straight talk and sound advice supports parents to raise strong, smart, resilient kids that will be invaluable assets to the world. Get “A little something” from her weekly and follow her on Facebook and Instagram for resources, tips and light-hearted insights into life as a TCK parent.
Flourish and Splat is about using art to process through the unique experiences of a TCK. We have virtual sessions with people of all ages to make space for processing and paint through it together. We're especially here for the TCK parents who know their kids need someone to help them, but don't feel like they can do it by themselves. You're not alone. We can help.
Hi! I’m Karli, creator of Third Culture Thriving. I create resources to help third culture families live with simplicity and joy, and cultivate community and conversation around the shared experiences that come with this beautiful, wildlife overseas.
MuKappa is a collegiate organization supporting Third Culture Kids' transition to university. MuKappa exists to encourage Third Culture Kids, missionary kids, multi-cultural, and international students in their cross-cultural transitions in order to foster meaningful relationships with God, family, peers, and others. MuKappa celebrates the great potential TCKs have to impact the world because of their background and experiences and encourages TCKs to use these gifts in their areas of influence.
Megan Norton is an intercultural training consultant, facilitator, and researcher focused on supporting cross-cultural families. Her expertise as an intercultural trainer combined with her experience in international education enables her to design socio-emotional and educational programming tailored to globally mobile families and youth. Growing up as a U.S. diplomat dependent, she lived in 6 countries and has lived in 4 more as an Adult Third Culture Kid, in addition to 5 U.S. States. Megan is host and producer of “A Culture Story” - a podcast which focuses on cultural identity, belonging, and purpose. Megan frequently writes and speaks on the ways parents, families, communities, international schools, and universities can aid TCKs as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
Kim Adams at ResilientExpats.com is available to speak to international schools -- parents and teachers -- about transitions and caring for TCKs. She offers whole-family workshops and mentoring programs for parents and teachers.
Expat Family Connection is a podcast for those raising & teaching TCKs, focused on the practical challenges of globally mobile life, transition, identity development, and emotional care in the context of international schools and daily family life. You'll find challenging questions and big ideas, paired with realistic suggestions.
The Culture Canvas is your "one stop layover" for Arts and Culture learning resources for Little Global Citizens! Drawing from the Montessori Method, Critical Thinking Skills, and a background in Arts Education, we hope to inspire and support families as they grow in CONNECTION and COMPASSION.
The Culture Canvas is for anyone hoping to grow in global perspectives, critical thinking skills and creative connections! Currently, we offer a monthly interactive Art Party with kids from all over the world, using our global arts appreciation curriculum called History Makers.
Abby Williamson started The Culture Canvas out of a desire to connect and create across countries, time zones, and cultures. Quite simply, she believes in the power of the arts to create meaningful connection: to cultures, to our own emotions, and to each other! She believes that young learners absolutely need to be creating, thinking critically, and making CONNECTIONS. That's really what The Culture Canvas is all about.
The Culture Canvas will be hosting our next LIVE Virtual Art Party this Wednesday, June 30 at 10AM US Eastern Time. You can get more information and reserve your spot here: Join The Party!