Your voice is needed for our first ever Asia conference!
Jody Tangredi, who has held the position of Scholarship Chair on the Families in Global Transition Board for two conferences now, describes the process of selecting and hosting previous scholars: “I’ve had the pleasure and honor of reading many well thought-out applications and seeing keen scholars arrive at each conference, representing the year’s theme through their passion and purpose.”
She has also received feedback from them on the impact of becoming a David Pollock Scholar and attending the conference. “As first-time attendees to the conference, no-one knows exactly what to expect but in talking to some of the 2017 and 2018 scholars the resounding outcome is a form of delighted surprise and intense gratitude. They particularly enjoyed:
- The strong level of interest in their topics. From the experiences of non-privileged, forced expatriation of Hazara women living in liminality between Iran and Afghanistan; to families with special-needs children in Taiwan and beyond; to non-white, non-Western, non-Global North voices; to family abuse within the expat context; to Japanese-TCK experiences; to theater expressing TCK/CCK experiences; to the experiences of black migrants; to telling stories through art and puppetry for children to effectively manage relocation issues - the list is large over the years!
- The broadening of their minds to possibilities they hadn’t previously realized with their work (volunteer work included)/studies/business/book and non-profit start-up ideas
- The connections to others who became their mentor, their champion, and in many cases their new BFF (Best Friend Forever) in just 3 days
- A new network of people who have intersections with their passion or work in ways they never considered
- A refreshed sense of determination
- ·A focus
- No need to explain yourself
- Perhaps most priceless of all: A place to belong and be heard at long last.”
The David C Pollock Scholarship honors a legend in the field of global mobility whose story became legend not through TV appearances, popular podcasts, internet postings or business schools touting successful global leadership skills, but through his work as a missionary in Africa, raising a family there, serving a greater purpose, and seeing the human impact of lives lived globally. He spoke, and wrote, passionately about the human impact on families and individuals in transition. He was able to make sense of the experiences and bring a voice to the voiceless, “to make the implicit explicit”, and always wondered who are we leaving out? Who is being left behind? And critically, he did something about it.
With the David C Pollock Scholarship funds raised every year at the conference, FIGT seeks to move his work forward and memorialize his mission by continuously asking not only “Who is missing” from the FIGT table? But also, how can their passion help others in global transition? What can be gained by lifting their voice and giving opportunity to attend?
Successful applicants receive
- free conference registration ---they will attend the conference for free
- a partial stipend to defray travel costs ----they will receive a stipend for travel expenses
- the opportunity to contribute to families in transition and those who serve them
- contacts, networks, ideas, resources, and friendships garnered at FIGT Conference.
Next year’s conference will be held for the very first time in Asia, in Bangkok, from April 26th -28th 2019. Applications for the David Pollock Scholarship (and the Request for Proposals to present) are now open and close on September 30th.
For more information and to begin the Application Process click here.
