Adoption Awareness Month in Canada
Celebrating Adoptive Families and Foster Children in November 2008
Oct 27, 2008
Adoption Awareness Month, also known as National Adoption Month throughout North America, originated in the United States in the early 1990’s. With the common goals of educating the community about adoption issues, promoting adoption of children in foster care and raising awareness about adoption in general, groups throughout Canada hold adoption focused conferences, symposiums and events.
Canada’s Waiting Kids, a service of the Adoption Council of Canada, estimates that there are over 22,000 children in Canada available for adoption. Most of these children are over the age of three and are living in foster homes until they are placed in an adoptive home or reach the age of majority. Adoption Awareness Month helps bring attention to the children waiting for permanent loving homes as well as celebrates families formed by adoption.
Adoption Events in Canada for November 2008
According to Wendy Rowney, VP of the Adoption Council of Canada, many Adoption Awareness Month activities are taking place throughout the country including the following highlights.
- Motivational speaker Alvin Law will weave his adoption story into an entertaining, musical performance at Common Threads in Vancouver. This event is hosted by the Adoptive Families Association of BC.
- The Adoption Council of Canada in Ottawa is showing the film, A Place Between: The Story of Adoption which will be followed with a discussion on identity, ethnicity and family with panel guests from the adoption triad.
- The Adoption Support Centre of Saskatchewan is running an adoption awareness radio ad campaign throughout November to educate the community about adoption.
Both large scale media events and small family centred activities are helping the adoption community reach its goal of raising awareness about adoption. Other awareness campaigns that are happening in many communities throughout Canada are information displays at schools, libraries, shopping centres and businesses about adoption and fostering, as well as donations being given by restaurants, stores and businesses to support adoption related programs.
Ways to Raise Awareness About Adoption
The Adoption Council of Canada suggests that birth parents, adult adoptees, adoptive parents, adoption professionals and members of the general public can help bring adoption into the public eye by doing some of the following activities:
- Find out about local special events, workshops, information sessions and seminars relating to adoption, including support groups.
- Read a book and research websites that relate to adoption issues. Share this knowledge with friends and family.
- Communicate with someone who has been touched by adoption. Listen and learn about individual and personal experiences.
- Send an editorial to the local newspaper to inform the public about adoption.
- Support efforts to improve policies and legislation that impact the adoption community.
Through the support of the community and organizations such as the Adoption Council of Canada, adoptees, birth parents and adoptive families are recognized on a national scale through Adoption Awareness Month. For more ideas on how to celebrate adoption in November and throughout the year, read Family Activities for National Adoption Month and Adoption Celebrations and Rituals.
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