Families in Global Transition (FIGT)
entry by Julie M. Marx, Global Family Expert at Expat Valley
Families in Global Transition is the primary international professional forum and community for individuals, families, and practitioners engaged in globally mobile life. Founded in 1998 by Ruth Van Reken and colleagues, FIGT brings together researchers, educators, counselors, coaches, HR and global mobility professionals, and internationally mobile families in an annual conference and year-round community. FIGT is widely regarded as the field’s most important cross-sector convening body and the primary venue for practitioners to share research, develop best practices, and build professional community around the international living experience.
Comparable terms
Worldwide ERC (the parallel professional body for HR and global mobility industry professionals; more organizationally focused than FIGT) · SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research — the intercultural training professional body; related but distinct focus) · ECIS (European Council of International Schools — the education-sector equivalent for international school professionals)
Why this matters
FIGT is where many key ideas, tools, and professional networks in this field have been shaped. It connects HR, educators, therapists, coaches, and families around shared concerns. Knowing it exists gives both practitioners and families a professional “home base.”
Cross-references
TCK (Identity & Belonging); Global Mobility Specialist (Professional Support Roles); Intercultural Trainer (Professional Support Roles); SIETAR (Professional Support Roles); ATCK (Identity & Belonging). SIETAR is the intercultural training professional body most closely allied to FIGT’s constituency, and the two organizations share significant practitioner overlap — particularly among intercultural coaches and trainers who work with internationally mobile families. The ATCK entry is directly relevant because FIGT’s founding community included many ATCKs, and the organization continues to serve both the research and the lived experience dimensions of the adult TCK population.
Sources
Families in Global Transition (FIGT) was founded following a discussion at Ruth Van Reken’s kitchen table in 1997, with the first conference held in 1998; it has since grown into an annual three-day event bringing together participants from across cultures and sectors including corporate, small business, international schools, relocation, diplomacy, nonprofit, academia, media, and the arts.
FIGT describes itself as a welcoming forum for globally mobile individuals, families, and those working with them, promoting cross-sector connections for sharing research and developing best practices that support the growth, success, and wellbeing of people crossing cultures around the world.
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