Adoption workshops local in Denver, CO

There have been a few people and agencies who try to post things here as comments or email me to ask if they can advertise on my blog. I have not really supported most of these efforts as they did not really fit here. But, this is an exception. I got a very polite email from a woman working on this conference and checked out the web site for it. It is legit and looks really informative. I can not endorse it because I have not been to it! :) But, it looks like great workshops. I am thinking if it would fit into my life......... hmmm.
Well, I know most reading this are involved in African adoptions, and this is put on by the Asian Pacific Development Center out of Denver. The adoption topic workshops can be chosen by the participant and so if you are just interested in the adoption topics not the Asian topics because you have African kid-o's then you can tailor it to your own needs, I would think there would be at least a few of you interested in both. It is $85 individual. I think that is a fair price for what they are offering. Check out the web site here, Journey of Asian Adoption: Building a Multi-cultural Family.

Just a little taste of what they are offering:

1C: The Trials and Tribulations of Adolescence and What Your Adopted Child Might Not Tell You

Adolescence can be a trying time for all children and parents. What special issues are key to understanding the mind of a growing adopted child? How does being adopted affect the developmental passage from youth to young adulthood? How does this passage differ for boys and girls? This workshop will also explore many developmental issues that may affect the whole family as a young multicultural adopted child develops, including sexuality, discrimination and attachment in the teen years. This workshop will help parents understand the “real” thoughts of adopted children as they journey through their teen years and beyond.

2A: Round-Table Sharing: What My Adoptive Child Has Taught Me

Adoptive parenthood can sometimes challenge parents to see the world a bit differently. This workshop will explore the ways our adopted children teach us about adoption and parenting. A trained therapist and parenting expert will facilitate the discussion that will include a panel of adoptive parents with children in different stages of development. The group will open the floor for discussion to hear questions on the minds of workshop participants.

3B: Evolving Identities in Adoption

What do adopted children, raised in multiracial families, need in order to grow up understanding their identities? A panel of young adopted adults will share their struggles and successes in their evolving identities and the middle ground they sometimes face when deciding where they belong. The panelists will discuss what helped their growth and how they have evolved and embraced their own identities. The workshop will also address the differences in identity development for males and females.

A special aspect of this workshop will include a discussion of emerging adult adoptees and the new adventures they may face as they venture off from family. More and more, when adopted children leave home, they come face-to-face with identity issues and discrimination and endeavor to create new support systems for themselves.

3C: Challenging Emotional Issues and Strengths of the Adoptive Child

It has been said that parenthood is one of the most challenging and rewarding jobs. This is not any different in parenting an adopted child. Sometimes parents may be faced with an adopted or biological child with emotional issues that require outside support and/or intervention. This workshop will help parents identify and discuss some of the emotional issues special to the adoptive family, including attachment and grief. A mental health care professional, with a specialization in treating adoptive families, will share resources and discuss the role the entire family plays in parenting an adoptive child with special emotional needs.