KAAN 2024 Conference: Full Schedule

Join KAAN from June 21 – 23 for three days of keynotes, films, presentations, roundtables, performers, exhibits, support forums, and life-changing community. KAAN offers an Adoptee-Only track, as well as sessions for a general audience that are open to all. There are programs for adults aged 18+ and youth aged 8-17. Everyone is welcome, including adoptees, birth families, family members (adoptive parents, spouses/partners, siblings, and children of adoptees), service providers, and Korean Americans. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at tech@wearekaan.org.

Register now at tfec.org/kaan2024

Donate to KAAN
KAAN is a Project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. This permits KAAN to operate as a nonprofit under TFEC’s 501(c)(3) designation. The official registration and financial information of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, at 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is registered in each state requiring such registration for charitable solicitation. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Thank you!

12:45pm CDT

Welcome: First-Timer Attendees: LGBTQIA+ (Adoptee-Only)

Whether you're new to the KAAN Conference or just want a refresher on the details for this year's gathering please join us for an informal Q&A and meet-and-greet session. All adoptees who identify under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella are welcome to join!

Speakers

Anna Inazu

Anna (she/they) is a Korean adoptee who grew up on the east coast in a racially mixed family, and currently resides in Denver, CO. Anna’s navigation of adoption hasn’t followed a particular trajectory, but gaining clarity of this experience and identity, is currently in the foreground... Read More →

Carly Zuckweiler (they/them)

aka 최은선 (Choi Eun Sun)

Friday June 21, 2024 12:45pm - 2:00pm CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

2:30pm CDT

Belonging in the In-Between

The dichotomies of being “enough” or “authentic” push and pull Adoptees to define the parameters of their authenticity. In a framework of either/or, there often is no home for Adoptees to exist in. However, exploring the in-between, infinite possibilities emerge. This space allows for the Adoptee to exist as a complex whole. In this workshop, participants will learn skills in navigating the either/or binary and exploring the possibilities of self in the in-between.

Speakers

Kalyn Bonn

Kalyn received her B.S. in Human Development & Family Studies and M.A. in Ethnic Studies from Colorado State University. She attended KAAN in 2019 and appreciated the community and it brought her during her graduate studies. In 2023 she joined Chinese Adoptee Alliance (CAA) as a board... Read More →

Anna Ningjing Cohen

Vice President, Chinese Adoptee Alliance

Hi! I'm Anna and I was adopted from Nanjing, China and raised in Brooklyn. I'm currently serving as President of Chinese Adoptee Alliance (formerly known as Families with Children from China - Greater NY). I'm passionate about building the adoptee community, amplifying adoptee stories... Read More →

Friday June 21, 2024 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

9:00am CDT

Adoptees as Caregivers

Have you found yourself caring for a family member, loved one, or friend, and/or wondered how being an adopted person may affect or complicate the situation? Do expectations differ amongst non-adopted family members? How does society see us when we’re the caregiver? How does gender influence the dynamic? Hear from adoptees who have lived through this experience while we explore the potentially unique challenges faced in such circumstances. We hope to create a supportive environment for all and plan to stay connected throughout the year via Zoom meetings and/or email/social media.

Speakers

Kerry Bondy

Kerry was born in South Korea and adopted to a Midwestern suburb in the US. Her involvement in the Korean adoptee community began in 2002 after her first trip back to Korea on a Motherland tour. In addition to volunteering and co-facilitating sessions at KAAN and IKAA, she has participated... Read More →

Mimi Short

KAAN Tech

I’m relatively new to the KAAN community, but over the past few years I have learned that this was the community that I craved all my life, even though I hadn’t known that til I found it. I went back to Korea in 2017 and apparently took a while to process the whole trip/experience... Read More →

Chris Wodicka (he/him)

Chris Wodicka (he/him) lives in Philadelphia, PA, where he is pursuing a PhD in social welfare, with a research focus on U.S. tax and social policy. Since 2022, he has served on the board of Hamkae Center (formerly NAKASEC Virginia), a nonprofit organization in Virginia that organizes... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 9:00am - 10:15am CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

10:30am CDT

Finding Identity Within the Adoptee Narrative

How do you show up in your adoptee identity and its intersections throughout areas of your life? Our ever-changing adoptee perspective brings nuance through joys and challenges. Attendees will be able to define and share what it means to center their adoptee identity (and other identities) in everyday life. This space will facilitate opportunities to discuss community building as it is a key part of support and navigating one’s multifaceted identity. Facilitators will provide prompts for reflection and discussion. This space will be accessible to folks that may or may not have discussed these topics.

Speakers

Lindsay Pluger

Network of Politicized Adoptees

Lindsay Pluger (they/she) is an Indian Adoptees who moved to the Twin Cities after undergrad and has been loving it every since! They are a nonprofit professional with a great deal of experience with youth leadership, community engagement, college access support and educational equity... Read More →

Katherine Wald

Katherine (she/hers) is a dimsum and boba loving Chinese adoptee. She is also a licensed graduate social worker in the state of Minnesota and works with teenagers and relative/kin families to find permanency within the child welfare system. Katherine values belonging, connection... Read More →

Mari Arneson

Network of Politicized Adoptees

Mari Arneson (she/her) is a Chinese adoptee who lives in Minnesota with her partner and 36 plants. She hopes to one day have a dog as well, but has unfortunately given up on a snake. She can eat her weight in dumplings and pickles, but she's not a huge fan of english muffins or black... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 10:30am - 11:45am CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

2:00pm CDT

Managing Birth Family Reunion and Relationships

The presenters will share their unique birth family reunion stories and how they manage the relationships with members of their birth family. Whereas the birth family reunion can be an incredible experience, there are often many challenges that adoptees in reunion must navigate due to cultural differences, language barriers, distance, lack of shared knowledge, conflicts with adoptive family, and overall emotional stress.

Speakers

Sara Engelhardt (she/her)

KAAN Bookstore Coordinator

Sara Engelhardt is a Korean adoptee who was adopted as an infant. She has a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Accounting. She currently works as an Accounting Admin at Ascent Global Logistics. Sara has attended several KAAN Conferences and has been back... Read More →

Amanda Cho

Amanda (Assalone) Cho, PhD, is a Korean American transracial and transnational adoptee in Atlanta who is actively involved in civil rights and advocacy organizations that support communities of color, particularly Asian Americans and Asian American adoptees. She is the Policy Manager... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 2:00pm - 3:15pm CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

3:45pm CDT

Stories We Tell Ourselves & Others

For many adoptees, our journey requires processing and talking about those parts of our stories that are hard to acknowledge even to ourselves, let alone to others. Glenn Morey, adoptee and creator of the Side by Side documentary film project, and Melinda McCulloch, adoptee and clinical therapist, will explore the fraught terrain of our most closely held and rarely revealed feelings—fear, shame, anger, alienation, and more—through the lenses of clinical work with adoptees and the raw and unfiltered adoptee stories of Side by Side.

Speakers

Glenn Morey

Side by Side Project

Glenn Morey is co-director of the documentary film project, Side by Side, presenting the stories of 100 adult Korean adoptees—filmed in 7 countries, 16 cities, and 6 languages. “Side by Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and Into the World” won the Gold Jury Award for Best... Read More →

Melinda McCulloch

Melinda McCulloch is a clinical social worker and Korean adoptee whose psychotherapy practice specializes in working with adoptees and their families, and others who are navigating issues of identity, attachment/intimacy, or grief and loss. Over the past 15 years, she has volunteered... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 3:45pm - 5:00pm CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

8:45am CDT

Debrief: First-Timer Attendees: LGBTQIA+ (Adoptee-Only

Reconnect with the cohort from your first-timers session and discuss KAAN next steps. All adoptees who identify under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella are welcome to join!

Speakers

Carly Zuckweiler (they/them)

aka 최은선 (Choi Eun Sun)

Sunday June 23, 2024 8:45am - 9:15am CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session

9:30am CDT

Community: A Conversation About Community

A discussion focused on how we as adoptees find, build, and maintain community spaces and what it means to be a multi hyphenate person at once. Discussing the importance of having solidarity among ourselves and other groups and how we can show up for each other. Ways to find community regardless of location.

Speakers

Daniel Price

My Name is Daniel N Price I am currently 29 years old and live in the Seattle/Tacoma area. I was adopted from Hangzhou China at the age of 3. I was diagnosed with a rare disease called TSC (tuberous sclerosis complex). I have other siblings adopted from China and South Korea. I am... Read More →

Maddy Ullman

Adopted from Hong Kong to America, Maddy is a writer, photographer, and storyteller based in Dallas TX. Her experience as a Chinese adoptee with cerebral palsy propels her storytelling working in Hollywood. With her deep love of story and collaborative spirit, Maddy is dedicated to... Read More →

Jean Gou

"Jean" (pronounced ‘John’) Gou is a passionate advocate for marginalized communities and someone who values community work. Jean is a Chinese, culturally “American” individual who is growing in his involvement within adoptee spaces. He works with several communities, including... Read More →

Sunday June 23, 2024 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Rosemont 3: 3rd Floor

Adoptee-Only Session