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KAN Conference 2018
Building Bridges: Strengthening Connections in Adoption
The KAN Teen Program is now FULL. Please continue with your registration for our kids’ program and parent program, as many spots are still available.
This year’s KAN Conference theme focuses on building connections with the significant people in our lives: within our adoptive families, with our extended families, with birth family members, with friends and others. We will explore the challenges adoptees may face in experiencing a strong sense of belonging and learn about important tools and strategies for creating connection.
WHEN
Saturday, November 17, 2018: 9:00 am-4:30 pm
WHERE
Lutheran Church of St. Andrew
15300 New Hampshire Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20905
WHO
Adoptees in grades 1st – 12th and their parents (Teen Program Grades 8-12 Now Full)
COST
Early Bird Special: $70 per participant if payment is received by October 19. Price increases to $75 October 20-November 2. Lunch is included.
Children’s Program (1st-7th grade)
Bridges, whether they are stone slabs resting on rocks in a stream or magnificently engineered to cross deep gorges, allow us to connect with others. Bridges enable us to meet others halfway, to venture into new territory and to meet even when difficult terrain separates us. We will be identifying some of the experiences in adoption that can leave us feeling disconnected from others. We’ll also be learning strategies that can help bridge those experiences so that we feel connected. We will learn about some of the important bridges of the world, build a model bridge and learn skills to help connect with family, friends and others in our adoptive networks and beyond.
Teen Program (8th-12th grade) Teen Program is now full.
Building bridges can take on many meanings in the 21st century. We are now seeing bridge templates being printed in 3D and people connecting across digital bridges through social media. We still revel at beauties like the Golden Gate Bridge while being amazed at the ability to instantly share information across continents. Just like architects and engineers are finding innovative ways to build structural bridges, teens who were adopted are finding ways to connect to pieces of their adoption. We will be discussing challenges faced by teens when they are feeling disconnected, identifying skills to manage emotions, improving relationship skills and building bridges as a team.
Parent Program
Building Bridges: The Importance of Birth Family Connections
Regardless of the degree of contact or knowledge about your children’s birth family, research and experts in the field of adoption confirm the significance of the birth family in the lives of your children. Children’s self-concept, self-esteem and identity formation are greatly influenced by the level of openness we have with them about their birth family, as well as how we create and maintain connections with birth family, when possible.
Guest speaker, Kim Stevens, adoptive parent and Program Manager with NACAC (North American Council on Adoptable Children) who will address how relationships between members of the “adoption constellation” change and evolve over time.
Parents will also hear from an amazing panel of adoptees, birthparents and adoptive parents from diverse adoptive experiences who will share their journeys of connection. Our afternoon program will include break-out sessions to provide smaller-group discussion on specific areas of interest and concern.
Entertainment
Child Tech, a mobile technology school, will be leading the children and teens in various engineering activities. Younger children will use LEGO robotics to build a bridge, older children will create objects with computer-assisted drawing and a 3D Printing Pen, and teen will travel throughout the world with a Virtual Reality passport to visit real-life locations. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of construction and engineering in a fun and interactive way.
Sponsors
Thank you to our generous sponsors for supporting the 2018 KAN Conference!
