HAWAI’I KOREAN ADOPTEES HOST FILM FESTIVAL ON O’AHU

International Participants to Gather in Honolulu in October

Korean Adoptees of Hawai’i (KAHI), a nonprofit organization based on O’ahu, is pleased to announce the first-ever Asian Adoptee Film Festival, to be held in conjunction with the Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering in Honolulu from Oct. 10-13, 2008. Screenings of films by artists adopted from Asian countries will primarily be held at the Doris Duke Theatre at the Honolulu Academy of Arts on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008.

KAHI invites film submissions that are original works addressing the theme of adoption or the experience of being adoptees, either directed, written or produced by adult Asian adoptees. Films may be narratives, documentaries or features of any length. Multiple submissions are encouraged.

Entries should be submitted in DVD format no later than March 30, 2008, to:

Korean Adoptees of Hawai’i

ATTN: Film Festival Selection Committee

47-671 Hui Kelu Street, Unit 2

Kaneohe HI  96744-4627

USA

Entries will not be returned. For more information or for additional submission guidelines, please contact KAHI at info@KAHawaii.org, or visit www.KAHawaii.org/mini08.

The Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering and Film Festival is an event that has evolved from previous international gatherings of transnationally adopted Koreans, held since 1999 in locations including Seoul, Oslo and Washington, D.C., and smaller-scale gatherings in U.S. cities such as New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis. This is the first-ever event of its kind to be held in Hawai’i.

The Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering and Film Festival is a celebration of the range of experiences - from the unique to the unifying - found among the diverse diaspora and global community of adoptees of Asian descent. The Gathering and Film Festival are expected to draw upward of 100 visitors from Hawai’i and the mainland United States, and such international locations as Sweden, Denmark, Australia and South Korea.

KAHI will also welcome members of the general public to the Oct. 11 film screenings, which will represent a unique aspect of the Asian-Pacific immigrant experience that has been historically underrepresented in the mainstream and even art-house film circuits. The Doris Duke Theatre will manage ticketing for this special event this autumn and will feature selected films in its newsletter.

Businesses, organizations and individuals interested in sponsorship opportunities for the film festival or the Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering are invited to contact KAHI for further information.

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Korean Adoptees of Hawai’i (KAHI) is a nonprofit organization founded upon the experiences of adult Korean adoptees, working to build a supportive community in Hawai’i through public outreach, networking, education and sharing resources. KAHI believes in fostering awareness about adoption and identity, recognizing that we, as a community, can extend our reach beyond what we can accomplish individually.

 

Korean Adoptees of Hawai`i are pleased to host:The Asian Adult Adoptee Gathering & Film Festival
October 10-13, 2008 Honolulu, Hawai`iPlease visit www.kahawaii.org/mini08 for more information and film submission guidelines.Please pass this along!Mahalo,

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2883720

December 10, 2007
HONG KONG ? A high-ranking Dutch diplomat and his wife, who adopted a 4-month-old Korean girl in 2000 when he was posted in Korea, gave up the child last year, officials here said.

Now, officials here are looking for someone to take care of the school-age child.

The girl, Jade, is still a Korean citizen because the adoptive parents, whose names were not released, never applied to give her Dutch citizenship, according to an official at the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department.

She doesn’t speak any Korean. She speaks only English and Cantonese, according to people close to her.  And she doesn’t have Hong Kong residency status, either. The Hong Kong Social Welfare Department, where the Dutch diplomat left Jade in September last year, has had responsibility for her ever since, the official said. Jade has been in Hong Kong’s foster care system, according to Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post.

The paper also reported that the diplomat, who has a senior management role at a European consulate in the city, said “the adoption had gone wrong,” without any further explanation.

“It’s just a very terrible trauma that everyone’s experiencing,” he told the paper. “I don’t have anything to say to the public. It is something we have to live with.”

The diplomat’s wife thought she was infertile when the couple adopted the Korean girl in 2000, the official said. After they moved to Hong Kong, the wife got pregnant. They now have two children of their own.

The story has fueled anger among the Korean immigrant community in Hong Kong, which criticized the diplomat couple for “irre-sponsibly renouncing their custody of a child who’d been with them more than six years after delaying the naturalization process in Netherlands for years.”

A couple of potential families in Hong Kong showed interest in the adoption, but are struggling to complete the adoption process because of the strict legal qualifications here, Koreans familiar with the incident said.

The Korean Consulate in Hong Kong said it is aware of the situation.
“We could send her back to a Korean orphanage, but she’s been away from Korea for so long, and it would be very difficult for her to readapt in Korea,” said Jeong Byeong-bae, a consul of the South Korean consulate in Hong Kong. “So it is for the best under the circumstances to find a Korean family in Hong Kong.”

By Choi Hyung-kyu JoongAng Ilbo/ Lee Yang-kyoung Staff Reporter [ enational@joongang.co.kr ]

The Adoption and Family Information Service (AFIS) and the Post Adoption
Support Service (PASS) will be collaborating on running a 2 seminar series
in 2008. Planning is still in progress, however dates have been set for
your diaries. This series will be jointly run by AFIS and PASS and
acknowledges the benefits in coordinating some of the education processes
undertaken by AFIS in preparation for adoption and the work of PASS in
working with families after the adoption.
The first of the seminar series is called The Joys and Challenges of
Parenting your Adopted Child and will be held at Relationships Australia
South Australia (RASA) over 3 evenings: 8, 15, 22 and 29th May 2008. The
series is for both waiting parents and those whose child has already
joined their family. Some of the topics to be covered will be: promoting a
secure relationship with your child, parenting a child who has experienced
institutionalisatio n, supporting the child who is grieving, negotiating
education, supports and other systems available, supporting your child in
developing relationships in school, encouraging play, and managing
behaviour.
The second series will be on the Common Medical and Developmental Needs of
Intercountry Adopted Children and will be held at RASA on 11, 18 and 25
September 2008. Again this series will be for both waiting parents and
those who have already been placed with a child. Presenters will include a
paediatrician, child health nurse, occupational therapist, speech
pathologist and psychologist.
The seminars will be free to attend. Please contact either Sandi
Petersen, Coordinator, Post Adoption Support Service on               08 8245 8100        or
mailto:S.Petersen%40rasa.org.au or Meredith du Caine, Senior Program Development
Officer at Adoption and Family Information Service, on 8207 0060 for
further information.
Kind regards,
Sandi Petersen

Coordinator, Post Adoption Support Service
Relationships Australia SA
49a Orsmond St, Hindmarsh 5007
Ph: 8245 8100
Email: mailto:S.Petersen%40rasa.org.au

SAVE THE DATES: August 1 – August 3, 2008

In 2008 Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link will celebrate its 10th anniversary. To commemorate this significant milestone, G.O.A.’L will host a special celebration together with our annual summer conference. More info will be forthcoming, so check our homepage for updates: www.goal.or.kr or contact Nicole Sheppard (ia_goal@yahoo.com).

REGISTRATION FEE SCHEDULE (Per Person):
USD 60 Until December 31, 2007
USD 75 January 1 - 10, 2008
FREE for Children under 6

**Registration fee includes: Welcome Reception, Breakfast and lunch on January 13th and 14th, and Tuesday night’s banquet.

Amy Anderson, Korean adoptee comedian, will provide entertainment for the Tuesday night banquet. For more information about Amy Anderson, please visit her website: http://ikaa.info/l/en/mailing/link/fde428777f6aecadec3c/268!

FLAMINGO HOTEL INFORMATION:

A block of rooms have been set aside for the IKAA Mini-Gathering Las Vegas at the Flamingo Hotel located right in the center of the famous Las Vegas strip. A special nightly rate has been arranged for $130/night and this rate will be available from January 12 - January 17, 2008.

To make your room reservations, you can call +1.800.835.5686 and use either the “International Korean Adoptee Associations” name OR the Reservation Code #SFKAA8. It is also possible to sign up online: here

There are a limited number of rooms available, so if you plan on attending the Las Vegas International Mini-Gathering, please go ahead and make your room reservations today!

IKAA POKER TOURNAMENT AT BALLY’S:

Participants must be over 21!

Bally’s, another big casino across the street from the Flamingo, will host a poker tournament for IKAA. The tournament will be open to adoptees and spouses/partners.

Sign up fee: $65. The fee can be paid with the registration to the general conference or  online: here

Sign up for the Poker Tournament (75 persons on a first-come, first-served basis): http://ikaa.info/l/en/mailing/link/fde428777f6aecadec3c/271. Please include your name, country and payment method.

GOLF EVENT:

There is a possibility of a golf event, if there are enough participants.  Please let us know (http://ikaa.info/l/en/mailing/link/fde428777f6aecadec3c/274) if you would be interested!

All adult Korean adoptees (including individuals and groups who are not officially affiliated with IKAA) are welcome to submit proposals for workshops to take place at the IKAA Mini-Gathering in Las Vegas. Workshops are tentatively scheduled to take place 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM on both Monday, January 14 and Tuesday, January 15. Depending on the number of workshops, there may be space for concurrent sessions to take place.

Please visit the IKAA International Mini-Gathering Las Vegas website (http://ikaa.info/l/en/mailing/link/fde428777f6aecadec3c/275 ) to download the workshop proposal form.

**Join us on the “IKAA International Mini-Gathering Las Vegas” Facebook Group! IKAA is not responsible for the arrangement of roommates, but perhaps you can find an old friend or acquaintance on Facebook to stay with!**
Details have been updated on the IKAA website. Please visit http://ikaa.info/l/en/mailing/link/fde428777f6aecadec3c/276!

Please see message below from Susan Soon-keum Cox, Vice Presient Public Policy & External Affairs for Holt International Children’s Services.

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and we have been contacted
by the U.S. Embassy in Korea for a Photo Essay Exhibit they are putting
together to celebrate National Adoption Month. They are requesting photos
depicting adoption from Korea. If you would like to participate, please
send a childhood photo and a current photo. Please include your name and
contact information. You can send your submission to Holt to
tawnyas@holtinternational.org Deadline is 12th
Thank you in advance for your participation!

InKAS provides Korean language scholarships to overseas Korean adoptees with a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the below website:http://cyber.inkas.com Overseas Korean adoptees over the age of 14 are qualified to apply. The details of the scholarship and application are as follows:

1. ApplicationEach applicant needs to submit 4 separate documents to complete the application process.  Please refer to the attached application form.  Application details can also be found at www.inkas.org (InKAS homepage, first click on ‘News and Events’, and then click ‘scholarship on-line 2007’.) Only completed applications will be considered for scholarships. 

2. Application Dates: During the year.  

3. How to apply: Send the application form and the required documents (written in the form) to InKAS 1) E-mail: inkas21@yahoo.co.kr 2) Fax: 82-2-3148-02593) Visit : Come to InKAS office and submit your application in person4) Post : InKAS office : 101-12 4F, Daehyun-dong, Seodaemoon-gu Seoul, Republic of Korea ( Zip Code : 120-809)  * Call to the office during business hour if you have any question Tel : 82-2-3148-0258 

4. SelectionSelection will be made entirely on a first-come-first-served basis .  

5. NotificationEach grantee will be notified by individual email.  

6. Tuition Entirely free for scholarship grantees as the site sponsors 50% of total tuition while InKAS covers the other 50% with support from the Ministry of health and welfare. 

7. Terms & Conditions: 1) Duration : 6months (One month / level * 6 levels = Full course lasts six months)Every level starts 1ST day of every months Ex) apply on 15th of August-> start from 1st of September -> study for 6months2) Class schedule : 5 days / week (repeatable) , 1 hour / day (anytime) is recommended. 3) Class process : study each levels and take the test at the end of every month ( level)4) Level : I ~ VI (beginner ~ advanced ) 

*You may visit the site and try the sample test at http://www.cylang.com/korean/default.htm