Aug. 24- Aug. 26, 2007 Welcome to the first gathering of CKAN - Canadian Korean Adoptee Network! We are the first gathering that we are aware of to occur in Canada. Adult Korean adoptees, from Montreal and the Toronto area, came together in Toronto to discuss how we can best serve the needs of our small community here in Canada.
Coming together was the first step! On Friday, we met for supper at a hip watering spot in Toronto. Getting to know other Korean adoptees in Canada was the initial ice breaker for those of us who had never met other adoptees before. The discussion was lively and provided a balanced spectrum of opinions and ideas. It was the first meeting of what will hopefully become an active, vibrant community!
On Saturday, we drove up to East Gwillimbury to attend KCCA's (Korean Canadian Children's Association) Culture Camp. We were treated to a delicious spread of Korean food and participated in some pretty strenuous camp activities. Connecting with families and young adoptees was an important link for many of us to make.
On Sunday, we met for brunch and watched a video of the recent IKAA (International Korean Adoptee Association) gathering in Seoul. Seeing the more than 500 participants from 17 different countries was really inspiring. It also reinforced the need for a Canadian contingent as there were only 4 Canadians among them!
As a group, we identified some CKAN objectives:
- To be a resource for the adoption community.
- To develop a CKAN blog with links to the adoption community in Canada, Korea and abroad.
- To increase our network of Korean adoptees in Canada.
- To develop a support network for adult Korean adoptees in Canada.
Saying good bye was hard but we all left feeling positive about the new connections we had made. We are happy to ride the wave of momentum from the IKAA gatherings and feel the time is right for a similar initiative to start in Canada. We need to spread the word and represent!
If this is your first time exploring Korean adoption issues in Canada, we encourage you to drop us a line.
If you know someone adopted from Korea who might be interested in getting in touch, please let them know about us.
We hope you'll stay along for the ride. Or even better, come join us!
If this is your first time exploring Korean adoption issues in Canada, we encourage you to drop us a line.
If you know someone adopted from Korea who might be interested in getting in touch, please let them know about us.
We hope you'll stay along for the ride. Or even better, come join us!
2 comments:
Hi Hilary,
Thanks for setting up this blog. I look forward to meeting new Korean adoptees from this site and to get to know them better. When I was younger, I tried looking for a Canadian site for Korean adoptees, and there were none, so I'm proud to be a part of this for future Korean adoptees that will want to gather together.
Sincerely,
MiRyung
I came to Canada @ early age( 17). I am looking 4 Korean adoptees to meet & share life in Korea near future. It's time to go back where i came from. I do have my own house in Canada & south Korea. Just want to live a life & travel & involve with Holt and other related Adopted associations.
If you want more detailed information about me and activity /involvement regarding adoptees from Korea please feel free to contact me at the following email address:
lotusflower@Rogers.com
Can't wait to meet you guys soon!
Because I want to share ideas for near future in Canada/Korea Adoptees support plan that I have in mind for a long time now and to make it possible financially finally! Thank you and hope to hear from you soon.
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