The Parentical |
April 2022
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"Years ago, we joined the club for our kids. Now it is our turn."
This spring, parenticals, the sabbaticals for parents, are booming.
12% of parents plan to take a parentical within the next 18 months.
The Club has kindred spirits for virtually any field of interest.
Mums and dads everywhere are currently getting ready for some professional gap time.
Of course, the Global Natives network has always been a hub for all generations.
Yet, never before have so many parents opted to use it for their own sabbaticals. Why?
They tell us the pandemic has prompted them to rethink their lives and their priorities.
Both as a guest and a host, parenticals give them hand-picked access to hands-on
professional experience and direct personal exchange. Plus: A holiday.
Sabine H., Hannover3 x 2 weeks this year
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"I am an independent midwife. My daughters are now 19 and 21 years old.
Since I'm self-employed, I can't take time off work for too long. But I want a break. I need some fresh thinking. And I want to see other ways of doing the job I love. For almost four years, I have been in touch with other midwives on this platform. Now I am going to meet some of my colleagues face-to-face!" Sabine is going to Glasgow in May. In July, she will visit Oslo and in September she is planning to fly to San Diego. She'll spend two weeks with every colleague, watch them at their work, see how they manage their work-life balance and, of course, take some time to relax and to enjoy, both the company and the place. "We can learn a lot from each other, and I'm looking forward to being their host too. Because this is not just about the job itself. We learn about other public health systems, about other mindsets, about great ideas and about the mistakes others make too." |
Antonio I., PiemontThe summer of 2022
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"I am 65 years old now, and I have been the mayor of our tiny village in the Italian Alps for almost 30 years! My main concern always was: We don't want to turn into a "borghi fantasma", a ghost town, like so many others. Initially, our family joined Global Natives
to give our children - and now our grandchildren - open doors to the world. And then I met Hans, the mastermind of "Intelligent Open Villages" through the network. Our sons knew each other. And Hans gave me the Eureka! moment of my life!" Antonio, an architect, will spend this summer - his first as an officially retired professional - as an ambassador for this concept for a renewed village life. Together with Hans, he has mapped out a travel route, visiting a total of 17 other tiny Alpine towns and villages to exchange experiences of revitalization. They can't wait for the summer ... |
Cassandra M., Mt. BensonOne year, from June to May
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"We run a family vineyard in Mount Benson, South Australia. I've always wanted to
take a sabbatical to learn how other winemakers work. It is a fascinating craft! My sons went off to university in 2019, so I was ready to go. Then the virus came. But now my time has come, and I am super excited!" The family has hosted Global Natives kids since 2011, all their children have been abroad and their worldwide network of wine growing families has grown over the years. First stop is Tuscany, where Cassandra wants to visit three vineyards; in October she will see the Moselle valley and then stay with an old friend near Vienna to visit the Carnuntum region and two winegrowers in Hungary. Next on the agenda is Xmas in Switzerland: Satigny near Geneva. In January, Cassandra will make the next big move and fly to California. There will be three families waiting for her, all keen to show her their own approach to excellence in viticulture. |
Hank S., BostonSix weeks this spring
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Hank is a builder, just like his father and his grandfather were before him. He speaks English only. When it comes to foreign languages, he relies on his three daughters: "That's why I gave them all these opportunities to see the world and study abroad!"
He's open to new ideas and likes the ambitions of his eldest, Gabby, who wants the family business to specialize in European building styles and techniques. With her and his second daughter, Sam, Hank will go and see eight Global Natives families from mid-May to late June. They are builders too. The journey will start in Malaga in the South of Spain, continue to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum, then on to Monaco, Milan, Brussels, London, Hamburg, Copenhagen and Uppsala. Initially, Saint Petersburg had been part of the plan too. Hank and his daughters have done their homework thoroughly, they come well- prepared and with a million questions; most of his colleagues' kids have already stayed with them in Boston and are delighted to repay their hospitality, both in culinary pleasures and in detailed professional know-how. |
Mums and dads from all walks of life are planning their parentical.
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