Tag Archives: adoptive parents

April is Adoption Awareness Month in Minnesota!

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IMG_3705Well, not really.  However, there is A LOT going on here in the lovely State of Minnesota this month.  Check it!

JaeRan Kim+Families With Children From Asia Midwest+LGA

April 7, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm; Topic: “What types of post adoption services are needed?”

Drawing from her years of work in adoption, JaeRan, aka, Harlow’s Monkey, will share her thoughts about the current needs of adoptees, kids in foster care, and adoptive families and what types of post adoption services could be put into place to address the needs.

RSVP here!

Ridiculously Overtly Dramatically Misleading Film Stuck

April 24th, 7:00 pm, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, Filmmakers Attending

Stuck is an award-winning documentary film that uncovers the real-life stories of children and parents navigating a roller coaster of bureaucracy on their journeys through the international adoption system, each filled with hope, elation – and sometimes heartbreak. Through the lens of personal, real-life stories the film asks how the global community can take care of these children, safeguarding them from the very real dangers of child trafficking and corruption while also answering their need to move from institutions into loving homes and a normal life. (D: Thaddaeus Scheel, USA, 2013, 82 min)

(Kevin Vollmers is SO looking forward to engaging the filmmakers because the Stuck folks are SO interested in hearing what adoptees, or should I say “orphans”, have to say. *eye roll*)

Approved for Adoption Gets Its Minnesota Premiere

April 25th, 7:15 pm, Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

Jung, a 42-year-old cartoonist, is one of the many adopted Koreans spread around the world who elect to perform a reconciliatory trip to their country of birth. Jung decided to return to South Korea in order to breathe the air of his home country, tread the land of his ancestors, and maybe find traces of his biological mother. Shot as a documentary, this trip leads Jung to recall – through animation – the child he once was and the winding path that made him grow up. (D: Jung, Laurent Boileau, Belgium/France/South Korea, 2012, French, 70 min)

And much, much more!

What Happens When Adoptive Parents Have Conversations With Adoptees?

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photoWhat happens?  Good discussions, just like last night at the Families With Children From Asia Midwest/Land of Gazillion Adoptees Coffee and Conversation with Eric Sharp of Mu Performing Arts.  Eric talked extensively about the thriving Minnesota theater scene, and the generally casual conversation turned a bit lively during a discussion about race.  All in all, it was a fantastic conversation, and the organizers look forward to the next two events, which will feature JaeRan Kim, aka, the artist formerly known as Harlow’s Monkey, and the fabulous Shannon Gibney.

If you’d like to sign up for the next two events, you can do so here.  If you want to check out Eric’s current production, go here.  If you want good baked goods, go here.

Toodles.

Attention MN Adoptive Parents! Register for Coffee and Conversation, Featuring Adoptees Eric Sharp, JaeRan Kim, and Shannon Gibney

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We’re happy to be partnering with Families With Children From Asia Midwest to bring to Minnesota adoptive parents the following bit of sweetness.

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Families With Children from Asia Midwest and Land of Gazillion Adoptees are pleased to announce a series for adoptive parents –Coffee and Conversation. We invite adoptive parents from all walks of life to join us at Java Train in St. Paul, MN (1341 Pascal Street N, St. Paul, MN 55108)  and listen to three accomplished adoptees – Eric Sharp, JaeRan Kim, and Shannon Gibney – as they discuss their professional expertise over casual cups of coffee.

Childcare will be provided for members, please see below.

Schedule

- Eric Sharp: March 19, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm;  Topic: “Adoptees and the Twin Cities Fine Arts Scene.”  

Eric, an actor and a staff member of Mu Performing Arts, will share his thoughts on the significant contributions adoptee actors, artists, dancers, musicians, and writers are offering to the vibrant Twin Cities fine arts scene.
- JaeRan Kim: April 7, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm; Topic: “What types of post adoption services are needed?”
Drawing from her years of work in adoption, JaeRan, aka, Harlow’s Monkey, will share her thoughts about the current needs of adoptees, kids in foster care, and adoptive families and what types of post adoption services could be put into place to address the needs.
- Shannon Gibney, May 5th, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm;  “Race vs. Culture.”
Shannon, an active member of the Minnesota adoptee community, will talk about her role as a higher ed educator, her thoughts on adoptive parents’ integration of culture/discussions about race with their children, and what other adoptees in academia are saying about the subject.

Awesome, right?  Click here for more information and to register.  Space is limited.  So we suggest for you to sign up sooner than later…