Like many of you, my year is ending in a flurry of travel, visits, and celebrations. In the quiet moments I find I am reflecting on a year of receiving and creating support in our community. As the year ends, I want to extend a big thank you to our 2021 panelists, event/course participants, volunteers, and community partners (see list below) for making Adoption Mosaic’s year so successful.

This month, we will complete a full year of We the Experts, including the first year of our quarterly non-adopted ally panel series. I am thrilled to look back on the range of experiences we were able to present to our community in 2021. It is exciting to be able to offer this rich “library” of lived experiences for others to access as a resource going forward. In addition, we launched a new Conscious Adoption parent education course - Seasoned Parents. This course was developed for parents of adult adoptees. We realized there was a great need to offer a course for those of us whose parents want to have a deeper understanding of how the narrative of adoption has shifted from when they adopted in the 60’s to the early 90’s. Listening to our community and creating innovative programs to support your needs is what inspires Adoption Mosaic everyday.


Finally another big thanks to last month's We the Experts panelists (Adoptees Who Adopted): Brandi Ebersole, Jimi Sweet, Rebecca Nurmela Peacock, and thanks to all those who attended.

I hope this December finds you healthy and well and thriving. And that you find the time this season to rest, recuperate, and recharge as we head into the new year.

Thank you for your continued support of Adoption Mosaic,
Hear from this inspiring group of adoptees who will be sharing their experiences of being adopted into and out of Jewish adoptive and birth families. In our final adoptee speaker panel of the year, hear our panel of adoptees share about:

  • Working to fit into the Jewish community as an adoptee
  • How interracial adoption and racial identity have impacted experiences in the Jewish community
  • Exploring the faith of your birth family and
  • Navigating the BOTH/AND of their faith-based experiences
The adoption experience is layered and nuanced and often misunderstood by non-adopted people. And, as adoptees we are more likely to have partners who are not adopted than we are to be partnered with another adoptee. In our final installment of our adoptee ally series, non-adopted partners of adoptees will discuss: 

  • Exploring their birth/biological privileges 
  • Understanding how adoption affects intimate relationships  
  • Learning about the complexity of the adoptee experience
  • Supporting their partner through search/reunion
*No adoptee is turned away due to financial hardship. Contact events@adoptionmosaic.com or call 971.231.7184 for scholarship details.
Who should take this course?
 
  • Adoptive parents with children of any age
  • Person(s) interested in adopting
  • Adoption professionals
 
What is special about this course?
 
  • An interactive course that provides history and context
 
  • Gives participants a chance to practice engaging with others in talking about race
 
  • Allows you to hear directly from adult transracial adoptees.
 
  • Created and implemented by adult adoptees of color.
Who should take this course? 

  • Adoptive parents with children under 18 yrs old
  • People interested in adopting 

What is special about this course? 

  • Customized curriculum with fun, hands-on activities to support tough conversations.

  • Covers topics such as: names, birthdays race and culture, adoption in the media and Mother’s and Father’s days

  • Developed and led by adult adoptees

Adoption Mosaic offers individual consultations with Astrid Castro. Consultations are not therapeutic services. One-on-one sessions with Astrid offer:

  • Empathetic, experience, and education based listening
  • Time to talk about you/your family’s challenges and successes
  • Individualized advice based on you/your family’s situation
  • One-on-one time with a caring, knowledgeable, open-minded adoption professional