Denizen - Online Magazine for TCKs

Steph Yiu is the founder of Denizen, an online magazine for Third Culture Kids.

She was born in Hong Kong and has lived in Taiwan and Singapore.

A recent graduate from Northwestern University.

She now lives in Chicago.

Expats Guide:Tell us a little about Denizen? When was it launched, and what would you like it to become?

Steph: It is an online magazine for Third Culture Kids. It launched in November last year. I would like it to be a useful resource for TCKs, with a lot of voice, creativity, attitude and style. People often say that Third Culture Kids are the citizens of the future... well, the future is here now.

The ranks of TCKs are multiplying as the world globalizes, and the existing research and information on TCKs simply do not represent them. We'd like to cultivate some fresh, youthful ideas that are relevant to our lives now.

Expats Guide: How did you come up with the name Denizen? Do you think it has a different meaning than TCK?

Steph: Coming up with the name took forever! We must've gone through a few hundred ideas before settling on Denizen. It means "a person who regularly frequents a place" or "an inhabitant." TCKs have lived all over the world, but are not citizens of any one place. Therefore, they are Denizens of wherever they exist.

We could've called it "Third Culture Kid Magazine," but it wasn't creative We were just tired of the old terms, bred from the research of the past, and wanted to create own niche.

Expats Guide: An online community is a great benefit for third culture kids. What reactions do you receive from your visitors?

Steph: The reactions have been incredible! Overwhelmingly positive and amazingly supportive. People are really identifying with the site, and I frequently get offers to write articles. Hopefully, I'm giving TCKs a voice.

Expats Guide: From which countries most of your visitors arrive?

Steph: US, Singapore, Canada and the UK... although Germany, Belgium, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Korea are in the top 10.

Expats Guide: You write a lot about how TCKs fear the simple question "where are you from?" Why do they feel uncomfortable?

Steph: Difficulty with "Where are you from?" symbolizes the confusion and struggle TCKs have with their identity. Most TCKs never develop a sense of attachment to a "home" because they've lived in many, many places before they turned 18. They aren't rooted to places, but instead to people, experiences and memories.

"Where are you from?" is a frustrating question for TCKs because it's a question suited for a pre-globalized society. It's supposed to help others identify who you are. But in a world where everyone is constantly moving, it just doesn't work anymore, and is the bane of a TCK's existence.

Expats Guide: You mention expatriate patriotism. Can you explain what does it mean?

That's a term coined by one of our Denizen writers, Suzanne Leung. You'd have to read her whole article to hear her thoughts, but in it she writes: "... in our increasingly-globalized world, perhaps it's the old notion of "my-country-is-better-than-yours" patriotism that needs to be seriously reevaluated. Just as we TCKs carry with us multicultural identities, it's possible—and I think necessary—to see that patriotism can be pluralistic, too."

Expats Guide: Repatriation is hard on many third culture kids. Most countries don't have a special support system for them and therefore they feel neglected. Do you have any suggestions how TCKs can be supported?

Some TCKs don't need any support. Others do. But they are invisible immigrants and therefore incredibly difficult to identify.

The best thing they can do is connect with other TCKs in the area and establish a network with other people who understand their struggle. A great way to do that is not only through Denizen, but all the social networking sites the internet has to offer, like Facebook.

Expats Guide: Steph, thank you so much for your time. You are doing a very important job and I wish you success with Denizen Online Magazine.

Denizen for Third Culture Kids