From Lynelle Beveridge, Founder/Director of Inter-Country Adoptee Support Network (ICASN):
Hi all,
Advising that our Newsboard will be archived for the Month of April by Friday this week … http://www.icasn.org/newsboard.html
May news will be available as of Monday next week. The Newsboard is updated on an ongoing basis so check it regularly to keep abreast of ICA news/info.
All archives are accessible at http://www.icasn.org/news/newsarchives.html
Thanks to those who continue to send through news and info to share on our newsboard!
A reminder, if anyone wishes to have any inter-country adoption issues addressed at the first Australian Peak Group meeting, held 21 & 22 May this month – I’ll be attending and you need to send through your items to me by 19 May at icasn@bigpond.net.au
For more information, visit www.icasn.org, or view our articles from ICASN.
From The Korea Times:
The number of orphans adopted last year declined from a year ago, falling for the sixth consecutive year. But a greater number of orphans found a new family here than overseas for the first time.
Also, about 77 percent of elementary, middle and high school students studied at cram schools and other privately run learning institutes, spending a monthly average of 220,000 won. It took 11 months for high school and university graduates to land a job.
According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Sunday, the number of Korean orphans adopted both at home and abroad stood at 2,652 in 2007, down from 3,231 a year earlier. It has decreased for the sixth straight year since 2001.
But more orphans were adopted by local families than by foreign ones last year for the first time. Local households adopted 1,388 orphans, accounting for 52.3 percent of the total, while 1,264 orphans, or 47.7 percent, found a new home in foreign countries.
Read the full article here: Domestic Adoption Exceeds Overseas for 1st Time
We’ve added a new article to our site: “Nurturing Healthy Racial Identity Development Vs. Internalized Racism In Transracially-Adopted Youngsters”. The author of the article is Jane Brown, MSW, creator of Adoption Playshops, and a longtime adoption social worker and educator. She and her husband are parents to eight children, five of whom joined their family through adoption.
Here’s an excerpt:
She focused on the emotional content of her daughter’s words, conveying that she was listening to understand, and wanted to help. “I’m guessing that lots has been on your mind– worries over fitting in and whether or not you are as attractive as those girls– the White girls– in your school.� “Who WOULDN’T be worried?� said Elise, “No matter how hard I try to not be different, it always comes up. “You’re adopted. You’re brown– not like us. � Why can’t they just treat me like everyone else? I wish that I was White. � Wisely, Elise’s mom didn’t sidestep Elise’s strong feelings by telling her how much she loved her beautiful looks. Instead, she responded � It must be uncomfortable to continually be reminded that you are different from most others in those ways– adoption and race. I’m guessing that you may sometimes be afraid that others at school think you’re not as good as they are.� “You’ve got that right,� muttered Elise. � Those girls also say insulting things about kids of other backgrounds, too. � Elise’s mother understood from this that even when White kids make derogatory remarks about individuals or groups of color without demeaning Elise’s ethnic background, the effect on her daughter was that she “got it� that minority heritage is deemed inferior to being White. Elise’s shoulders relaxed and she moved closer to her mother. “At least I can talk to you, Mom,� she said.
Click here to read the rest of the article, or you can view all the articles written by Brown here: Articles by Jane Brown.
