Forums

Outsiders Within Discussion
Saturday, March 15 from 3:30-5:30pm at KoRoot

The purpose of this discussion group is to create a space in which adoptees can discuss, critically, areas of adoption that are not often spoken of, and to bring adoptees together so that we can learn from one another in reference to the text. For this meeting, please read Chapters 6-8 and come prepared with questions, passages, or points that are interesting to you. Some things to think about while reading might be: race, gender, sexuality, class, and ability, while also keeping in mind the ways in which power and privilege intersect and influence these subjects. We will also have some prepared questions for discussion.
Please note that this event is open to adoptees only.
Discussion Group Information: Please read Chapters 6-8 before coming to the discussion.
Contact: For questions about the group, please contact Joo Ae: [email protected]

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 February Events ~
Valentine's Day Action
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ASK Monthly Forum
Thursday and Sunday
February 14 and February 17
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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/

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.

Join us for the next ASK Monthly Forum!
Saturday, October 20 from 4-6pm at KoRoot
A Conversation with Single Mothers
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Special Guitar Concert
Conversation with single mothers
The number of single mothers who choose to keep their children to raise is increasing every year. ASK is pleased to invite some of these single mothers to speak about their experiences of raising their children. Discussion and Q&A; included.

(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

This month we will show the film, Daughter from Danang, and have a short discussion. This documentary feature follows the reunion of Heidi Bub, who was adopted to the U.S. in 1975 through Operation Babylift, with her Vietnamese birth family. Daughter from Danang was released in 2002 and screened at several international film festivals. It was awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature.
For more information about the documentary, please go to:
http://www.daughterfromdanang.com/
The ASK Monthly Forum is open to anyone who is interested in adoption-related issues.

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: