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Conference Theme

The conference theme will be: Embracing and Bridging Differences.

Global mobility offers a realm of differences. Some we may expect - people, place, language, culture, religion. Some we may not - differences in education, work styles, employment, relationship, health and economic status, leisure opportunities, and life stages. How we embrace and bridge those differences not only impacts our personal and professional lives and wellbeing, but also those who surround us. 

We look forward to listening to diverse voices, from those who have experienced or are currently living in differences, to connect and support our global community. We welcome individuals, researchers, and field experts who employ, sponsor and support the globally mobile to share their insights, resources and stories.

The 2020 FIGT Conference will continue to build bridges between communities and sectors as expressed in our mission statement:

FIGT is a welcoming forum for globally mobile individuals, families, and those working with them. Our mission is to promote cross-sector connections for sharing research and developing best practices that support the growth, success, and well-being of people crossing cultures around the world.


Selection Process

We would like to receive proposals that represent many different perspectives such as: counseling and coaching services, educational services, relocation specialists, researchers, entrepreneurs, corporate, mission, diplomat, military, international governmental and international non-governmental organizations, sponsored and self-initiated expats, refugees, immigrants, expat partners, adult CCKs and CCKs, artists, media, humanitarian, and all other globally mobile individuals and entities not listed but relevant.

All proposals will be read by a Committee, a dedicated group of readers representing different perspectives and backgrounds. The readers conduct a review of all submissions and rank them on a numerical scale.

The Committee reviewers use the following criteria:

  • How well the proposal relates to the overall conference theme.
  • How well the proposal offers a unique perspective or application.
  • The proposal should attract a diverse and global audience.
  • The content should be original material, timely, and up-to-date.
  • Preference will be given to proposals that demonstrate creativity or innovation in their approach or application.
  • The committee will also review session balance with the overall conference, inviting both new voices and returning speakers bringing new content.

The Program Committee will make the final decision.


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Fees, Expectations and Scholarships

FIGT runs on the dedicated work of our members who volunteer hundreds of hours of their time and talents. It is a nonprofit organization recognized under US law and operates with a limited budget that does not permit compensation for presenters. All conference presenters must sign their contracts within 7 days of receipt and register for the conference and pay the full registration fee before the Early Bird deadline, January 10, 2020. Presenters shall also cover their own travel and accommodation. If your proposal is accepted, you will receive a contract. If you require financial assistance to attend the conference, you will find information about our David C Pollock Scholarship here. Special conditions may apply for keynote speakers.

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Session Formats

Morning Forum: These forums begin the conference day and are an hour and a half long. Presenters (usually 2-4) who submit proposals that complement each other will be asked to co-create an hour long presentation or workshop that allows ample time for Q&A and discussion.

Keynote: High-level lecture, presentation or performance. Can be followed by Q&A at the presenter’s discretion. Preference will be given to accomplished speakers or performers with topics that address a universal theme.

Concurrent Session: Hour-long sessions focused on a single topic by one or several presenters. Preference will be given to sessions with original, compelling information, practical resources and/or empowerment tools for families or supporting professionals that are relevant to diverse sectors and experiences. When appropriate, interactive, practice-based, solution-oriented workshops or presentations are encouraged. The suggested format is a 15 to 20-minute presentation and 40-45 minute active discussion on your topic.

Kitchen Table Conversation: Informal small group discussions around a table. Lively, interactive conversations around a focused, practical topic, designed to expose conference attendees to a range of ideas and presenters. Presenters make a brief (15-20 minute) verbal presentation of their topic and then engage in discussion (20-25 minutes). Ideal for new and experienced presenters alike.

Lightning Session: Dynamic, structured talks allow presenters to share big ideas quickly to all conference attendees. Each presenter prepares 20 image-based PowerPoint slides, which advance automatically every 18 seconds, to accompany their “story.” Preference will be given to presentations that are engaging, informative, and based on a powerful question/idea, as well as to speakers with robust presentation skills. There will be a Q&A session immediately after the presentations.

Panel Discussion: Hour-long expert panels can be an effective way to consolidate knowledge and lead a conversation across sectors and areas of experience/expertise. The ideal panel discussion will contain a big question of interest to constituents of all sectors, moderated by an experienced facilitator. To propose a panel discussion, please fill out the RFP with your information as well as the information for other panel members; we will follow up with you regarding details.

Poster Session: Posters summarize information, ideas or research concisely and attractively to help publicize it and generate discussion. The poster is usually a mixture of a brief text mixed with tables, graphs, pictures, and other presentation formats. A poster is a graphic display of your work. Poster presenters will be invited to present their posters in designated 30 minutes time frame during the conference. The posters will be displayed during all three days allowing the audience to read your story/research/idea and contact the presenter during the event. Examples can be found here and here.

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Application Form

The application must be submitted using an online form. This form must be completed in one sitting. It does not allow you to save your submission part way through and complete it later, although you can move back and forth between questions as you work. We strongly recommend you type out and save your more detailed responses in a separate document before you begin. When you hit “submit” at the end of your application, you are finished and will receive a confirmation email. You can expect to receive a response from our Program Committee in early November. By this time, scholarship decisions will have been confirmed.

Before you begin, review all necessary information needed:

  Step 1: Your contact details
 2 First name
 3 Last name
 4 Your email address
 5 Your role/job title
 6 Your company/organization (if applicable) 
 7 If you use LinkedIn, insert a link to your profile here
 8 Any other social media, publications, certifications or training we should know about?
  Step 2: Your involvement with FIGT
 9 Are you a member of FIGT?
 10 Have you attended an FIGT conference before? 
 11If yes, which years did you attend?
 12 Have you presented at an FIGT conference (including on a panel) before?
 13 If yes, which years did you present?
  Step 3: Your biography and session description
 14 Your session title, bio and session synopsis, once submitted, are final and will be used on our website, conference app and in our promotional materials. The Program Committee may suggest clarifying changes and reserves the right to edit, if required, to fit the constraints of our website and conference app. Do you accept? Y/N
 15 Your biography. For publication on our website, conference app and promotional materials. Please include a link to your website, if you have one. 850 characters (approx 120 words) maximum.
 16 Is there more than one presenter for this proposal? Y/N
 17 If yes, please provide name(s) and email address(es)
 18

Session title. 150 characters (approx 20 words) maximum

 19

Session description. Describe your session to our RFP readers, including its relevance to our theme and your unique perspective. 3,000 characters (approx 400 words) maximum

 20

Session synopsis. For publication on our website, conference app and conference promotional materials. 850 characters (approx 120 words) maximum.

 21

Please indicate your preferred/most appropriate session format. Select all that apply.

Morning Forum
Keynote
Concurrent Session
Kitchen Table Conversation
Lightning Session
Panel Discussion
Poster

  Step 4: Research
 22 Does your session include a research study you have conducted? Y/N
 23

If yes, please provide the following information about your research study. Who are the participants? Number of participants? How were they recruited to the study? 850 characters (approx 120 words) maximum. NB: If you research falls outside of traditional social sciences, please interpret these questions as you see fit.

 24

Your findings. What tools and measure did you use? What statistical, theoretical and/or practical significance? 850 characters (approx 120 words) maximum.

 25 Is your study complete? Y/N
 26 If no, describes what remains to be completed before the 2020 Conference.
  Step 5: Your perspective
 27

Which perspective does your presentation relate to the most? (choose one)

Counseling and Coaching services
Educational services
Relocation specialists
Researchers
Entrepreneurs
Corporate
Mission
Diplomat
Military
Int'l Governmental and Int'l Non-Governmental organizations
Sponsored and Self-Initiated expats
Refugees
Immigrants
Expat Partners
Adult CCKs and CCKs
Artists
Media
Humanitarian
Others not listed but relevant

 28 If you selected “Others,” please explain
  Step 6: SUBMIT


Speaker submissions are now closed. Thank you to all who applied. You should expect to hear back from us in early November.

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Submission deadline is September 15, 2019

Download a printable copy

Mailing address:
Families in Global Transition

C/o Campbell Rappold & Yurasits LLP
1033 S Cedar Crest Blvd
Allentown, PA 18103
USA

admin@figt.org

+1 (703) 634-7400
Skype: figt.administrator

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