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Message from Astrid
We the Experts: Adoptee & Ally Speaker Series
Conscious Adoption: Adoptive Parent Education
Collaborations
Community Events
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Hello!
A new year brings new and exciting programming from Adoption Mosaic.
We are grateful for the chance to improve upon all the wonderful programs and events we started last year and for the promise of new beginnings.
Our We the Experts: Adoptee Speaker Series continues to be a point of light in these still uncertain times. Our 2021 panel line-up promises more great stories and insights from our adoptee community. Also, don't forget to scroll all the way to the bottom of this message as I have had the privilege of being interviewed on The Kelly Moe Show and Baby Be Brave by two wonderful adoptees out there doing some great work in uplifting their community. It was such an honor to sit in community and talk shop with Kelly Moe and Michelle McManus.
A big thank you to our incredible February (Adoptee Change Makers) panelists: Sandy White Hawk , Kristopher Larsen, Ian Forber-Pratt, and Zara Phillips. If you missed seeing these inspiring people live, you can purchase the recording here.
This month’s We the Experts: Adoptee Speaker Series will feature adoptee authors. Check out my video below to learn what the VERY FIRST adoptee/adoption related book I ever read - over 20 years ago!
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I'm excited to announce that this year we are adding a special edition to our We the Experts series - We the Experts: Adoptee Ally Series. These quarterly panels will feature members of the adoption constellation speaking about:
- March 20 - “2nd Generation Adoptees” (Maya Castro Dabbeni) ~ Life as a child of an adoptee
- June 19 - The birth/first parent experience
- September 18 - Adoptive Parents “Out of the Fog” coming out of the fog as an adoptive parent
- December 19 - Being the partner/spouse of an adoptee (December 19).
Additionally, this year we are offering 6 and 12 month subscription options for our We the Experts attendees. Subscribers will be automatically registered each month - set it and forget it!
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Finally, I am so excited to introduce Shelise Gieseke. Shelise started working as Assistant Director of Adoption Mosaic in November 2020. I met Shelise over ten years ago when she volunteered for Adoption Mosaic (501c3 version) and then soon became an staff member for over four years before taking a break to focus on motherhood. I am thrilled to be working with such an incredibly competent and dear friend in this capacity once again. Please help me in officially welcoming Shelise as she assists me in all things to keep Adoption Mosaic running smoothly. |
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Astrid Castro
Director & Founder
Adoption Mosaic
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We the Experts: Speaker Series |
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Saturday, March 13th
from 10 am-12 pm PST on ZOOM
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As adoptees, we find our own ways of expressing ourselves and our lived experiences. This month, we will hear from four incredible adoptees who have put their words on the page and written about their perspectives in:
- Fiction
- Nonfiction
- Academic research and writing
- Personal memoir
Join us to learn how these adoptee authors have successfully navigated the art of sharing their work through written expression.
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Saturday, March 20th
from 10 am-12 pm PST on ZOOM
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Adoption is a lifelong journey for adoptees, but what impact does our experience as an adoptee have on our own children? Hear from adult children of adoptees about how they feel their parent’s adoption affects their lives today.
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Interested in being a panelist? Please complete this form. We thank you for your time!
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Adoption Mosaic: Conscious Adoption
Adoptive Parent Workshops
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Tough Conversations
Sundays from 9:00 am-10:30 am PST
April 11, 18, 25, May 2, 16, 23 (skip 9)
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This six-session course (parent group) meets weekly for 1.5 hours to encourage at-home exploration and sharing of adoption related topics in a fun and familiar structured environment.
Parents will be guided through a specially customized curriculum that includes hands-on activities to support tough conversations with their adoptee.
This group will:
- Cover topics such as, but not limited to: family trees, names, birthdays, adoptee friendships, adoption & school, adoption & media, mother’s/father’s day, race & culture)
- Nurture the parent/child relationship focusing on adoption and communication
- Support conversations and activities that honor the child’s adoption experience at home
- Offers a space to create community and share with other adoptive parents
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Transracial Parenting
Wednesdays from 4:00-5:30 pm PST
April 14, 21, 28 May 5, 12, 19
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This six-session course (parent group) meets weekly for 1.5 hours to focus on different and vital aspects of transracial adoption.
This group will learn about and examine:
- A HISTORY of transracial adoption in the United States and how knowledge of this history will support and help children have a BETTER SENSE of SELF
- Developmental Stages of racial identity for non-transracially adopted children vs. transracially adopted children
- Our own Biases and Hesitations when talking about race & racism
- What being a Race Ally REALLY means as a parent of a child of color
- The role race & racism play in your Family and Community
And MUCH, MUCH more!
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This year Astrid has been busy engaging in some fabulous conversations with our adoptee community. Catch her conversations and interviews on the following: |
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Thank You for Your Support! |
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We are so grateful for your continued and enthusiastic support for our events and programs. We love watching our community expand and connect to new constellation members each and every day.
We love to hear from you and are always here to support you. Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Yours in community,
Astrid & Shelise
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