Heritage Camp Voices from Shawn Herbert on Vimeo.
Heritage camp is a wonderful way to support healthy identity development in international and domestic adoptees. If you’re raising an adopted child please consider heritage camp. It is a unique experience that allows adoptees to spend 4 days a year with families just like theirs and kids, counselors and adults who mirror their racial, ethnic and adopted identities. The workshops, discussions and connections made through camp strengthen identity, normalize what can feel isolating and different in the larger world, bolster self confidence and help adoptees to find the words to voice her feelings about being adopted and being their cultural heritage. The younger children benefit from interacting with kids of similar experiences and ethnicities – who live in families that look just like theirs. They create lasting friendships in this supportive community of racial and adopted mirrors delving into tough subjects such as abandonment and loss in a safe and fun environment. As parents, it is an opportunity to connect to others with like experiences and challenges, gain fresh perspectives and challenge our preconceived notions of what it is to raise, love, and honor adopted children. I share this recommendation with all my patients who are part of adoptive families. Get yourselves to camp!
This is not a paid advertisement, HRG Therapy Group has no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements) in any of the resources or subject matter or materials discussed in this post.