AdopteeBridge
OurHistory Adult Adoptee Retreats are for transracial adult adoptees, ages 21+. They are a series of two, 2-day retreats. This is a time for adoptees to come together in a safe space to share experiences and to learn and grow—both individually and as an adoptee community. It is a time to focus on our identities, both as adoptees and People of Color, living in the State of Minnesota.
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Savita Katarya (Rochester, MN) Savita works in cross-cultural leadership development and was connected to the CEO Tour in 2019. She identifies as an immigrant from India. |
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Jose Losada-Montero (Marshall, MN) Jose was a contact of a former MHC staffperson (Kirk MacKinnon Morrow). He is a Spanish professor at SMSU. He identifies as an immigrant from Spain. |
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Juan Fernandez-Iglesias (Winona, MN) Juan Fernandez-Iglesias is a Winona State University Global Studies and Languages professor, and has blogged for MHC previously. He identifies as an immigrant from Spain. |
Laura Benson
Minnesota Humanities Center
laura@mnhum.org
651-772-4244
$850,000 the first year and $850,000 the second year are for a competitive grants program to provide grants to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Minnesota.
The Minnesota Humanities Center must operate a competitive grants program to provide grants to programs that preserve and honor the cultural heritage of Minnesota or that provide education and student outreach on cultural diversity or to programs that empower communities to build their identity and culture. Priority must be given to grants for individuals and organizations working to create, celebrate, and teach indigenous arts and cultural activities and arts organizations and programs preserving, sharing, and educating on the arts and cultural heritage of immigrant communities in Minnesota.
At a workshop AdopteeBridge held in January 2020, we sent a survey to participants. We will send out a similar survey to retreat participants to see their likes, dislikes, and recommendations for future retreats.
We asked for feedback regarding the following topics:
--Logistics
--Size of workshop
--Sessions & activities
--Possible future activities
--Suggestions and concerns
After each retreat, we will send a similar survey.
It is very important for AdopteeBridge to introduce our programs, including the OurHistory Retreat, to adoptees we previously have not had contact with, but to also continue building the relationships and community formed. Therefore, we will add a section in the survey of the following:
--What AdopteeBridge programs do individuals participate in?
--Is this the first OurHistory Retreat or are they a returning participant?
We will add a section to include the following:
--Does the participant plan to attend the next retreat?--We expect a retention rate of 50% returning participants and the other 50% will be new participants.
--Did the retreat enable the participant to connect with other adoptees?--We expect a response of 90-100%
--Did the retreat enable the participant to reflect on their adoption journey?--We expect a response of 90-100%
--Did the retreat and the participants validate your adoption journey?--We expect a response of 90-100%
For the first retreat, we will compare survey results to the results received from the January 2020 Workshop. Our goal is to receive a rating of 75% or higher in regards to positive feedback for activities held during the retreats. For potential activities that receive an interest of 75% or higher, our staff will seriously consider to plan for a future retreat.
At AdopteeBridge, it is very important to also receive written feedback--this helps us hear directly from the individuals we work with to hear their thoughts and ideas for future programming. It also allows us to hear the impact a program has (or has not) had an on adoptee's journey.
In progress