Managing Natural Parents
Brenda Padilla Ericksen is a specialist in cultural diversity who designs and delivers dynamic cross-cultural training programs to students, parents and professionals. At the beginning of her career she worked at North Seattle College in the Adult Basic Education program providing ESL and integration training for immigrants and refugees from around the world. She has worked in a Japanese multinational with training headquarters in Belgium providing training to professionals from around the world in order to promote intercultural empathy and effective teamwork. Since 2010, she have been training exchange students - and their natural parents - in Spain. Every year she studies the results and improves the training. Currently, she provides Youth Exchange Consulting Services from her home base in Spain.
For more information, visit www.BestCulturalDiversity.com
You can also reach Brenda directly at: brenda@bestculturaldiversityever.com
For more information, visit www.BestCulturalDiversity.com
You can also reach Brenda directly at: brenda@bestculturaldiversityever.com
Managing Natural Parents in Youth Exchange
Natural Parents are increasingly involved in youth exchange. Today, parents have the means of staying in touch with their children 24/7 throughout their exchange program.
In this video I share my Natural Parent Training Program which involved three training modules designed to equip NP's with realistic expectations and educate them about all aspects of their child's exchange program:
-Culture Shock - the realities of adapting to a different culture and specific cultural differences that shock people from their country. The aim is to share the benefits of culture shock for their child - if they are able to allow their child to participate in the program without interfering.
-Problem-Solving - Natural Parents have real fears which may or may not be unfounded. They need a reality check regarding the types of problems that actually occur in youth exchange. And they need to know exactly how these problems are handled and what they should do and say when their child calls in the middle of them.
-Custody-Sharing - Foreign parents face great challenges as they share their child with parents from a very different culture. Once again, they need very specific training that will prepare them to play their role well. This module focuses 100% on the knowledge, skills and attitudes NP's need to support the host family.
In this video I share my Natural Parent Training Program which involved three training modules designed to equip NP's with realistic expectations and educate them about all aspects of their child's exchange program:
-Culture Shock - the realities of adapting to a different culture and specific cultural differences that shock people from their country. The aim is to share the benefits of culture shock for their child - if they are able to allow their child to participate in the program without interfering.
-Problem-Solving - Natural Parents have real fears which may or may not be unfounded. They need a reality check regarding the types of problems that actually occur in youth exchange. And they need to know exactly how these problems are handled and what they should do and say when their child calls in the middle of them.
-Custody-Sharing - Foreign parents face great challenges as they share their child with parents from a very different culture. Once again, they need very specific training that will prepare them to play their role well. This module focuses 100% on the knowledge, skills and attitudes NP's need to support the host family.
The Natural Parent Dilemma
Natural Parents have become "participants" in youth exchange thanks to social media.
In this video, we will analyze the problem from a different point of view:
-What is the Natural Parent experience?
-Why is it so hard for so many Natural Parents to let go?
-Is it possible to limit students' connection with their NP's?
-Why are there so many misunderstandings?
-What do NP's need to know in order to understand the 24/7 reality show starring their child (thanks to social media)?
Brenda Padilla Ericksen is an NP with 10 years experience managing (as in training and supporting) natural parents in Spain while their teenagers participate in either a J-1 or F-1 high school exchange in the USA.
In this video, we will analyze the problem from a different point of view:
-What is the Natural Parent experience?
-Why is it so hard for so many Natural Parents to let go?
-Is it possible to limit students' connection with their NP's?
-Why are there so many misunderstandings?
-What do NP's need to know in order to understand the 24/7 reality show starring their child (thanks to social media)?
Brenda Padilla Ericksen is an NP with 10 years experience managing (as in training and supporting) natural parents in Spain while their teenagers participate in either a J-1 or F-1 high school exchange in the USA.