Third Culture Kids: A Gift to Care For

by Ulrika Ernvik

Third Culture Kids are Global Nomads who have moved in between cultures many times and therefore are a part of many cultures. Their beauty and challenge in life is to integrate and embrace all their experiences into a life story that reflects who they are. Using interactive and reflective activities to accomplish this, the whole brain and body are involved in the processing. Deeper relationships are built as families and groups do the activities together. Young and adult TCKs, parents, teachers, sending agencies and others who care for TCKs can all find meaningful activities that bring understanding, integration and joy.

416 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2019

Reviews

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and excellent. Ernvik is an MK herself and shares such great insight and exercises to work through with TCKs. She welcomes everyone into the growing and healing process. This book is not explicitly from a Christian perspective, but there is one chapter on MKs that I found really helpful and insightful, and Ernvik shares some Christianity-specific thoughts and beliefs. I'll be rereading this one!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent recent book written for anyone who is either a Third Culture Kid (missionary kid), parent of TCKs, or working with/supporting missionary families. It covers many issues affecting children who grow up not in their passport culture, including transitions, grief and loss, culture, language and much more. The author is a social worker and licensed psycho-therapist. Each chapter as well as including expert, evidence-based advice, gives some activities/responses to do with children or families, and advice for staff carers as well. I would think this could be especially helpful for anyone who is trying to process their own experience retrospectively as well, and I plan to recommend it to my many missionary friends.

[EliG · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion one of the most practical, balanced and thorough book out there on the subject of MK's. This should be read in addition to Pollock and van Reken's classic: "Growing up among worlds", but that's a given.

Ernvik has a lot of practical activities to help families and tck's process and deal with the life they're living. I especially appreciate Ernviks ability to not portray tck life with an overly emotional and bitter voice (as a lot of tck books do). She manages to find a balance between acknowledging the difficulties, pains and frustration it can be growing up constantly crossing land borders and providing tools for moving forward and responding to these emotins in a healthy way.

I also appreciate the focus on how the whole family should be involved in the wellbeing of a tck and also the responsibility of sending agency. This should be a given, but unfortunately still isn't given high enough priority.

Read this book if you're a parent or caregiver of a tck/atck or if you've grown up between worlds yourself. It should also be a mandatory read for anyone working with member care for families living abroad.

One important acknowledgement - this book works well for me because I share some of the author's cultural background. I'm aware that it might not fit as well for kids and families from other parts of the world than Scandinavia. The whole book is heavily child focused and has streaks of individualism that could potentially clash in a more collective-oriented family culture.

[Helen Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many books about Third Culture Kids (children who move from country to country due to their parent's work). Having read this book from cover to cover the word that keeps coming back to me is 'care'. There's much talk in the world of global mobility about how resilient children are, but sometimes they aren't... and caring for them needs to become No 1. Ulrika speaks frankly and this is what I most appreciate about her book.

The other important aspect is who the book is written for. Every chapter finishes with appropriate advice for the parents, the TCK children and the "sending agency". The latter is the corporation, employer, church, government etc. These agencies must understand what can happen to the families they send away.

Quote: "When sending agencies are sending a family, they need to have a child focus. When parents are moving in between cultures, they need to have a child focus. Why? For the simple reason that the children need it. And the parents will not do well if the children are not doing well."

Ulrika Ernivik is well qualified to share her advice. She lived a TCK life, is a social worker and licensed psychotherapist specializing in supporting TCKs and their families.

I highly recommend this book to all families venturing abroad.

[Lisa Beloved · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a well organized resource on TCKs (Thief Culture Kids) and how to best support them so they can thrive in life. It doesn’t only contain psychological insight, but every chapter ends with very practical exercises and ideas of what different entities can to do help the TCKs under their supervision.

Highly recommend for anyone who works with TCKs (as a mom, send ing agency, friend etc)

[Jared Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book, with fun and engaging activities for the TCK, Parent, Church, or/and Sending Agnecy

I enjoyed the book and the writers personal experiencias as well as others who she played a role in. It was great to read first hand accounts about the rewarding yet chálame gong lives a TCK will live .

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this was all the various activities and helpful structure for whole-family debriefing

[Beverley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A therapists view on how to care for third culture kids.

[Becky Fagerlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource with plenty of ideas for activities to help you child walk through the challenges of being a TCK. I felt it to be more of reference than a book to sit and read all the way through.