W.I.S.E. Up! the World about Adoption Conference

The W.I.S.E. Up! program empowers families to choose how they talk about their adoption story.

Parents will participate in a workshop that will focus on an in-depth conversation of what children understand, think, and feel about adoption as they grow. The common questions, fears, and concerns adopted children face will be addressed. We will also explore the dynamic between non-adopted peers, extended family, and even strangers.

The W.I.S.E. Up! program has spread across the country as children have embraced its simplicity and power to address the consistent challenge of explaining adoption and their adoption stories to peers, neighbors, and even strangers. W.I.S.E. Up!® is a tool to empower children to handle questions and comments about adoption from others. This program helps children realize that they are not alone with this task. Children will learn the program, create Powerstix, and role play various scenarios to help them practice what they have learned.

Brought to you by the Coalition for Children, Youth & Families and the Wisconsin Post Adoption Resources Centers with the support of Jockey Being Family® and the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

The W.I.S.E. Up! curriculum was created and provided by the Center for Adoption Support and Education.

Saturday, March 19, 2016
8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

$20/participant or $30/twosome
$10/youth
(1st—5th grade, adopted children ONLY)

Our Lord’s United Methodist Church
5000 S. Sunnyslope Road
New Berlin WI 53151

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided

Please note, child care for younger children will not be provided. Please make other arrangements.

Register online, email us, or call 414-475-1246

A Place in My Heart Conference: Beyond Consequences in the Classroom – A Trauma-Focused Approach

Many children, who may be doing well early on, can suddenly demonstrate negative and out-of-control behaviors once they start their academic careers. School environments present a tremendous challenge to many of our children due to the increase in social interactions and the demands placed on their focus, concentration, and performance.

This is especially true for children with any type of traumatic background, as they tend to have a high sensitivity to stress with high states of anxiety. They become easily over-stimulated and overwhelmed. They communicate these unsettling feeling states through acting out behaviors or by defiant and resistant behaviors.

If we punish children to behave or to motivate them, as we have traditionally done in our schools by taking away privileges, taking points off point charts, or giving detentions or suspensions, we simply create more stress for these children. The result is a child who continues to decompensate without a chance to recover.

This full day training for parents and professionals will present a regulatory and relationship-based model for working with such children in the classroom (from kindergarten to 12^th grade). This training will link together sound neurological research with negative acting out behaviors in order to give participants a new understanding as to “why children do the things they do.” Practical and easy to implement solutions will be given to help these students reach their full academic potential, while simultaneously improving their social and emotional intelligence in the classroom.

About the Trainer

Heather T. Forbes, LCSW is the owner of the Beyond Consequences Institute. Forbes has worked in the field of trauma and healing since 1999. She is an internationally published author on the topics of raising children with difficult and severe behaviors, the impact of trauma on the developing child, adoptive motherhood, and self-development. Coming from a family of educators, Forbes has a heart for children in the classroom and for finding ways to teach the child that seems “unteachable.” Her signature style is to bridge the gap between scientific research and real-life application to equip parents, educators, and therapists with practical and effective tools. Much of her experience and insight on understanding trauma, disruptive behaviors, and adoption-related issues comes from her direct mothering experience of her two adopted children.

Registration Information

Saturday, November 8, 2014

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness (45 Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells, WI)

$45/person or $80/twosome
$50/child welfare staff member

Register online or call 414-475-1246 (1-800-762-8063) for more information

Jockey Being Family Conference – Pieces of Me: The Puzzle of Identity

 

Have you ever felt as though you don’t belong? Maybe with a group of people or in a particular scene or setting? For children and youth who have been adopted, feeling as though they don’t belong or fit in can sometimes grow into questions about who they are as a person.

Every person who has been adopted experiences his or her adoption journey in different ways; but there are common themes that include:

• peer pressure and bullying
• adoptee loyalty and thoughts about searching for biological family members
• grief and/or trauma
• attachment challenges
• intrusive questions

The Jockey Being Family Conference, Pieces of Me: The Puzzle of Identity, will provide both parents and their children (ages 6-17) who have been adopted with an opportunity to explore adoption identity.

Children and youth will spend a portion of their day with Jaclyn Skalnik, a transracial internationally adopted person, with the goal of leaving at the end of the day with a better understanding of their adoption story, feelings of curiosity about their adoption exploration, and stronger self-esteem through education and emotional support. When not in session with Jaclyn, children and youth will spend time engaging in arts projects and games with fellow adoptees; connecting with one another in a safe, supportive, and fun environment.

Parents and caregivers will also have a session with Jaclyn, addressing common thoughts, questions, and struggles that children who were adopted may experience. By sharing stories, experiential exercises, and role playing, Jaclyn will provide:

• recommendations of tangible ways for parents and caregivers to connect or stay connected to their children through realistic discussions
• tips on how families can establish a community of networking to support their children in ways beyond their own parenting abilities
• suggestions on how to help their children feel health, strong, and deserving

When not in session with Jaclyn, parents and caregivers will have workshops on self-care, an adult adoptee panel, and a wrap-up of what their children experienced during the day.

Conference Details & Registration Information

Jockey Being Family Conference

Pieces of Me: The Puzzle of Identity

Saturday, September 27, 2014

9am-2pm

Country Springs Hotel

$40 per person/$70 per twosome

$10 per child

(adopted children only, ages 6-17)

Registration Deadline: September 11, 2014

 

Register Online

Questions? Call 414-475-1246 or email info@coalitionforcyf.org

 

W.I.S.E. Up the World about Adoption Conference

You’d be amazed at the questions adopted children are asked about being adopted. For some children, it begins as early as age three: “Why don’t you look like your mom?” For others, it begins at school: “What happened to your real mother?” “Why did she give you away?” Friends, classmates – even well-meaning grown ups – make comments or ask questions that can be uncomfortable for adopted children.

On Saturday, March 8, OURS Through Adoption, with the support of Jockey Being Family and the Coalition for Children, Youth & Families, is presenting W.I.S.E. Up the World About Adoption Conference and you’re invited to attend.

Conference Details
Parents will participate in a workshop that will provide an in-depth analysis of what children understand, think, and feel about adoption as they grow. The common questions, fears, and concerns adopted children face will be addressed. You will also explore the dynamic between non-adopted peers, extended family, and even strangers.

In the meantime, the children have a workshop and activities of their own! The W.I.S.E. Up! program has spread across the county as children have embraced its simplicity and power to address the consistent challenge of explaining adoption and their adoption stories to peers, neighbors, and sometimes even strangers. Children will learn about the W.I.S.E. UP! tool and come away feeling empowered to handle questions and comments from others about adoption. The program helps children realize that they are not alone with this task. Not only will they learn the program, but they will also create Powerstix and role play various scenarios.

The W.I.S.E. UP! curriculum was created and provided by The Center for Adoption Education and Support.

About the Trainer

Oriana Carey is currently Executive Vice President at the Coalition for Children, Youth & Families and has a master’s degree in social work, a therapy license, and many years of experience in adoption and child welfare. She has previously managed mental health clinics and residential treatment centers for children. She helped the Coalition create the Foster Care and Adoption Resource Center in 2005 and has continued to manage the project.

 

Registration Details

How to Talk to Your Kids about Adoption

Think about your life story. Where you were born, your childhood, the friends and family who were there along your journey. It’s probably a story that you’re quite familiar with. You know the ins and outs and you’ve told it in varying degrees of detail many times throughout your life. But what if your life story was something of a mystery? What if the same family wasn’t always there; the caregivers changed and the homes were never the same and friends came and went as you moved or changed schools — or even moved to a whole new country.

Everyone’s life story is unique in some way and each story is valuable. Helping kids learn, understand, and talk about their life story and adoption is an important part of being an adoptive parent.

We know that a lot of people have questions about adoption – adults and children alike. And we know that kids get asked these questions; other kids are asking, or teachers, family friends, or even strangers. So, how do you help prepare your child?

The Adoption Magazine blog has a great post about this topic. We also have a tip sheet about this topic: Empowering Your Children to Share their Adoption Story.

Depending on the age of your child or children, you can use books or even movies to help talk about adoption. We have tip sheets about Adoption Focused Books and Adoption in the Media that you might find helpful. And you can also refer to the posts at the Adoption at the Movies blog.

For even more help and advice – for both parents and children – we are hosting a W.I.S.E. Up! the World about Adoption one-day conference in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, April 13. While parents participate in a workshop that gives them an in-depth look at what children understand, think, and feel about adoption as they grow, children will learn the W.I.S.E. Up! tool and how that tool can empower them to handle questions and comments about adoption.

How have you tackled the topic of adoption in your family and with your children? Please share your stories, thoughts, and experiences in the comments and feel free to link up other blog posts about this topic there, as well.

 

A Place in My Heart Conference: Finding Your Life Vest in the Storm

The life experiences that your children have faced before coming into your care leave profound and lasting effects. Even after leaving a negative, painful or traumatic environment, the consequences can ripple through your home and your family on a daily basis. This workshop will examine your child’s past and what, if any, emotional and behavioral problems they may have inherited. Dr. Delaney will  offer you concrete tools to use in understanding and healing your child. His perspective will help you attack these negative behaviors from multiple angles.

Dr. Rick Delaney is a nationally known speaker and consultant to foster, kinship and adoptive parents. He is a consultant to Casey Family Programs and other foster care and adoption agencies. Dr. Delaney is the author of several books in the area of foster care and adoption, including Fostering Changes: Myth, Meaning and Magic Bullets in Attachment Theory and A 3-D View of Foster, Kinship and Adopted Children (co-authored by James Kagan, M.D.). He has helped to develop the SRDI (SAFY Risk of Disruption Inventory), an instrument that identifies foster children’s risk of disruption. He is the principle investigator of Foster Parent College, an online resource for foster and adoptive parents, and has helped to develop an online training series for Portland State University’s adoption-competent mental health certificate program. Dr. Delaney is a father and step-father and lives in Colorado and Texas.

 

 

 

Saturday, November 3, 2012

9am–4pm

Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness, Hwy 12 & Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells, WI

REGISTRATION

Cost: $45 per person/$80 per twosome          $50 for professional

Registration Deadline: October 12, 2012

Register online at http://aplaceinmyheart2012.eventbrite.com Or call 414-475-1246 for more information

Hotel Accommodations:

Glacier Canyon Lodge at the Wilderness, HWY 12 & Hillman Road, Wisconsin Dells

A block of rooms has been reserved. Please call 1-800-867-WILD (9453) to make your reservations. Ask for block #307256 for Adoption Resources of Wisconsin at Glacier Canyon Lodge.

$99 for Double Queen with Sleeper couch at Glacier Canyon Lodge, $139 for 2 bedroom Deluxe Condo 

Please note: the above rates are for Friday, November 2. A limited number of rooms can be extended for the same rate on Saturday, November 3.

This event is sponsored by Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, Jockey Being Family, Catholic Charities – Madison, Catholic Charities – LaCrosse, Family Servcies and the Department of Children and Families.

W.I.S.E. Up! the World about Adoption Conference

Join us in Eau Claire on September 22 for the W.I.S.E. Up! the World about Adoption Conference. This is an extraordinary conference for parents and children alike and will teach you both some valuable tools and tips about sharing your adoption story.

Parents will participate in a workshop that will proved an in-depth understanding of what children comprehend, think and feel about adoption as they grow. The common questions, fears and concerns adopted children face will be addressed.  We will also explore the dynamic between non-adopted peers, extended family, and even strangers.

This program has spread across the country as children have embraced its simplicity and power to address the consistent challenge of explaining adoption and their adoption stories to peers, neighbors and even strangers. W.I.S.E. UP!® is a tool to empower children to handle questions and comments about adoption from others. This program helps children realize that they are not alone with this task. Children will learn the program, create Powerstix and role play various scenarios.

Register online at http://wiseup2012-eorg.eventbrite.com/