FIGT Boston Chapter

Dr. Anne Copeland

Tina Quick

The board of directors of Families in Global Transition had long been contemplating a feasible approach for keeping the spark and energy of the annual conference alive throughout the remainder of the year. The idea of regional chapters was tabled more than a few times until the board meeting of October, 2009 when board members Dr. Anne Copeland and Tina Quick, both from the Boston, MA area agreed to start a charter chapter for the greater Boston area.

The first meeting of FIGT Boston was held in January 2009 with 15 interested persons who were either involved in or were pursuing careers and other interests in the intercultural field. Anne and Tina introduced FIGT as an organization to the group, informed them about the annual conference and then led a discussion as to how the group preferred to proceed with formatting their future meetings. The group as a whole agreed they wanted to use the chapter to learn more about what others were doing in their work and to explore networking opportunities.

The mission of this group is to continue the work of FIGT beyond its annual conference, by meeting to support and educate professionals who work to improve the lives of families in global transition. As per the group’s mandate, we meet every 4-8 weeks in the home of alternating group members. Typically there is a period of meeting, greeting and networking over food and drink provided by the hostess followed by a 30-45 minute presentation or discussion by a group member on a topic of interest. Some of the offerings have included:

• TCKs and transition
• Leadership management
• Successful trainings and tools used
• Sharing of how group members have teamed up to complement one another’s programs
• Sharing of how professional and personal lives relate to intercultural issues
• Group brainstorming in assisting a group member with a work issue
• Intercultural values – cultural practices versus bribes

FIGT Boston has been and continues to be a useful resource and network for those with intercultural connections with its members coming from all backgrounds and interests including educators, relocation experts, those working with refugees and immigrants, students, coaches, trainers and others. It has served as the building stone for other FIGT chapters such as Korea and Switzerland.

If you are interested in being part of the FIGT Boston community, please contact Anne Copeland (copeland@interchangeinstitute.org) or Tina Quick (tinaquick@comcast.net).