Forums

ASK-M.A.C.K. Forum: BRING YOUR I.D.
May 18 from 2-4 p.m. at Yonsei University Millennium Hall
Members of the adoptee, mixed Korean and gyopo communities come together to address the endless questions regarding multiculturalism and the Korean diaspora. In particular, we hope to shed light on the questions of what, how and just how much being in Korea has shaped our present identities, where our experiences overlap and how they differ. We’ll also explore the intersections and divisions in our three communities and how we can bridge the gaps to strengthen the relationships between our communities in Korea.
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BRING YOUR I.D.
Co-hosted by ASK and The M.A.C.K. Foundation
The forum will feature four panelists, with moderator Peter Bint. 

ASK-G.O.A.'L. Forum on Mental Health and Adoption VII:
Moving Through Adoption in Korea
When: Sunday, April 29, 2012 from 12-2 p.m.
Where: Lotte Castle Café (directions below)
At this forum co-sponsored by ASK and G.O.A.’L., therapist Eli Fehler will give a brief presentation and facilitate a discussion on moving through the adoptee experience while living in Korea. She will touch upon the identity awakening that occurs in an adoptee's experience coming to Korea, navigating life here and in the "return" home as well as the pressure to "re-assimilate." Participants are encouraged but not required to ask questions related to adoption, including general themes of moving forward. Those who were able to attend a previous ASK forum may also ask follow-up questions on other topics discussed then.
This will be an adoptee-only event. There is a limit of 30 participants so please RSVP via Facebook as soon as possible.
Light snacks, drinks and a list of mental health resources will be provided. Hope to see you there!

ASK-G.O.A.'L. Forum on Mental Health and Adoption VI: Adoption, Race & White Privilege
When: Sunday, February 19, 2012 from 12-2 p.m.
Where: Adaptable Human Solutions office (See REVISED directions below)
At this forum, therapist Eli Fehler and academic Eleana Kim will give adoptee-focused presentations on how to talk about issues of race and white privilege with family members and friends. Eli Fehler will discuss how to talk about race and privilege with your white friends & families. Eleana Kim will talk about the politics of race in a multicultural and so-called post-racial age, and the ways that adoptees both represent the possibilities and the limitations of such view. After a short break, there will be an open Q & A session.
The forum is open -- adoptees and allies are encouraged to attend. Light snacks, drinks and a list of mental health resources will be provided.
*This event has a limit of 30 participants, so please RSVP via Facebook as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!
*General questions regarding the workshop?

ASK-G.O.A.'L. Forum on Mental Health and Adoption V: Attachment and identity
When: Sunday, December 4 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Cafe Salon de FACTORY (directions below)
At this forum co-sponsored by G.O.A.’L., therapist Eli Fehler will lead a question and answer session on attachment and identity. Participants are encouraged but not required to ask any questions related to adoption, including general themes of attachment and identity. Those who were able to attend the fourth ASK forum may also ask any follow-up questions related to interpersonal relationships and other topics discussed.
This is an open forum and we invite and encourage adoptee allies to attend. This event has a limit of 30 participants, so please RSVP via Facebook as soon as possible. Hope to see you there!
BIO:
*Eli Fehler is a psychotherapist at Adaptable Human Solutions in Seoul. She is a licensed mental health counselor and holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Mars Hill Graduate School.

ASK Forum on Mental Health and Adoption IV: Interpersonal Relationships
When: August 27 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: TOZ Business Center in Sinchon (see directions below)
RSVP: We kindly ask you to rsvp via Facebook.
At this forum, three mental health therapists will give adoptee-focused presentations on different aspects of adoption뭩 impact on interpersonal relationships, including those with family members, friends and partners. Kacy Ames will Skype in from New York to discuss race and ethnicity in relationships with significant others. Eli Fehler will discuss various attachment styles and the role they play within relationships. Liz Suk will discuss place attachment, cultural identity and its impact on relationships with birth family and Koreans. Eli and Liz will take part in a Q & A session afterward.
This is an open forum and we invite and encourage adoptee allies to attend. Hope to see you there!
BIOS:

WRITING WORKSHOP
Mental Health and Adoption Part III
Organized by Adoptee Solidarity Korea
Workshop facilitators: Molly Cho and Karin Lim
When: Saturday, April 23rd from 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Outside at Hangang Park
Meet at Yeouinauru Subway Station, Exit 3

RESOURCED THROUGH WRITING:
Mental Health and Adoption Part II
Saturday, January 15 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. at KoRoot
Organized by Adoptee Solidarity Korea
Hosted by KoRoot (for directions please see below)
Time and date: January 15 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Workshop facilitators: Molly Cho (ASK Member) and Kim Hyo-Jung Campbell (ASK Representative)

ASK FORUM ON MENTAL HEALTH AND ADOPTION
Thursday, 12 August, 7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.
Organized by Adoptee Solidarity Korea
Hosted by KoRoot (for directions please see below)
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*This will be an adoptee-only event!

A DAY WITH PROFESSOR DAVID SMOLIN
Friday, July 23 at multiple locations
Event I: Child Trafficking, the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, and the Korean Adoption System
Friday, July 23, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Korea Women's Development Institute, 2nd Floor Conference Room
You are invited to a free lecture in Seoul by American Prof David Smolin. He will discuss the paper he recently presented at the Hague, and you will also have an opportunity to hear his opinion on the Korean adoption system in light of "child laundering." In addition, the lawyer who wrote the adoption law revisions of TRACK-KoRoot-ASK-Miss Mamma Mia will be there as a discussant, as well as Eli Park Sorensen, an adoptee who teaches at Cambridge University.
You may already know that David Smolin and his wife had adopted two girls from India, who they found out later had been literally kidnapped and sold for international adoption.
You may read Smolin's works on adoption, including "Child Laundering: How the Intercountry Adoption System Legitimizes and Incentivizes the Practices of Buying, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Stealing Children" here: http://works.bepress.com/david_smolin/

(한국어 밑에 있습니다)
Three overseas adoptee-related organizations will host a variety of events over Adoption Day weekend, which kicks off May 8. The organizations bring a critical voice to Korea’s national Adoption Day, saying unwed mothers should be supported so they can raise their own babies -- not send them for adoption. In addition, the organizations claim international adoption is a hidden part of modern Korean history, and that both the history and the adoptees must be acknowledged by Korean society.
ASK (Adoptee Solidarity Korea) 국외 입양인 연대 www.adopteesolidarity.org
“Alternatives to Adoption: Building a Movement for Change”
“입양, 그 대안의 모색과 변화를 위한 실천”
Beginning with a press conference at 1:30 on Friday, May 8 ASK is sponsoring an afternoon symposium at the National Human Rights Commission about alternatives to intercountry (ICA) adoption with representatives from five NGOs speaking on how their work is related to ICA. Among the thought-provoking panelists are reps from the Korean Foster Care Association, the Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network, A-Ha! Sexuality Education Counseling Center, TacTeen, and the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center. The symposium is open to the public.
Date: Friday, May 8