The inaugural broadcast of this panel discussion on “global patriotism” hosted by TCKidNOW. Turkish-British novelist and commentator Elif Shafak challenges the notion that belonging everywhere can mean being a citizen of nowhere by validating a world citizenship of having simultaneous “multiple belongings”, a patriotism she describes being more valuable than nationalistic fervor. This discussion reveals how world citizens practice local civic engagement and loyalty to a country, demonstrating what patriotism for the world can look like.

Watch or listen “podcast-style” to this engaging dialogue host Myra Dumapias with global souls Virupaksh Agrawal, Precious Brooks and Vahid Mockon about how they participated in local civic engagement. This panel discussion took place on December 5, 2020, after the US witnessed the successful election of the first woman, first African American, first Black woman and first South Asian and Asian American in the seat of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has global cross-cultural roots.

TCKidNOW is a US-based non-profit organization that serves adult Third Culture Kids (TCKs) or individuals who spent their developmental years growing up in different countries other than their parents’ or their birth country. TCKs (the “Kids” referring to the stage in life spent living transnationally) commonly identify with others who grew up geographically and/or culturally rootless, such as military brats, missionary kids, diplomatic brats, international assistance/development program kids and corporate kids.

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