“I found it [Re-entry] useful in that it allowed me to see the similarities and differences my stories held in comparison with the others. It gave me a platform in which to share my stories with willing listeners, non-judgement and respect.”
An often neglected part of long-term cross-cultural work is the return home. Just as entering a new country and culture can present many difficulties and challenges, returning home may be shocking, disappointing or disheartening. “Home” may not be as a returnee remembers, or may be, disappointingly, exactly as remembered. The complexity and pace of Australian life can be confronting, confusing and frustrating. The apparent inequities and injustices can be infuriating.
Friends, family and colleagues are often baffled by a returnee’s inability to just slot back in. Often returning home will not mean returning to an old life. New experiences will have helped the traveller develop, and they may be looking at a new direction.
Palms Approach to Re-Entry
As an organisation that has been delivering cross-cultural training since 1961, Palms Australia understands the difficulties of returning home. We offer to all our program participants returning from an assignment abroad a re-entry support program to help ease the trip back home. Our re-entry workshops offer a chance to share stories, explore new understandings of development, debrief on global and local issues and better understand the new role a returnee can have at home. Whether you’ve returned home six days ago or six years ago, the benefits of a well-run re-entry program are undeniable. It is never too late to reflect on your time abroad.
Palms Australia welcomes program participants and workers from other organisations to attend our re-entry support program. Our team can run exclusive, tailored workshops on request. Simply contact us and we will design a re-entry to meet your unique needs.
If you are interested in participating or would like to organise one for your workplace or community group, please contact Emily at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can call us on (02) 9560 5333.
Our next Re-Entry Workshop date tbc.