Juno

Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Stars: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Olivia Thirlby
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rating: Pg-13

Juno, a teenager who is outspoken and irreverent, becomes pregnant through a one time encounter with her classmate, Bleeker. Initially, Juno decides to have an abortion, but then changes her mind. Looking in the Pennysaver, she finds the “perfect” adoptive couple, Vanessa and Mark Loring, an affluent, suburban couple. Opting for a closed rather than open adoption, and with little input from her parents or Bleeker, Juno never hesitates about her decision till she learns that the Loring’s may not be as perfect as they seemed.

What do you think?

• Juno makes her choices and goes through pregnancy, labor, and relinquishment of her child with seemingly little to no input from her parents or her classmate, Bleeker, the father. To what extent do you think this is realistic? Do you think that this movies delves into the reasons why Juno makes the choices she does? If not, why might a movie not delve more deeply into these reasons? How might a movie delve more deeply?
  
• “If you’re still in, I’m still in.” – Juno
  Why you think Juno decides to go through with the adoption even though she knows Vanessa will be parenting alone? What might be the factors that motivate this decision? How do you feel about Juno’s note and her decision? How do you feel about Vanessa’s desire to become a parent even when she knows that she’ll be going through it alone?
  
• What do you feel about Juno’s decision not to see her baby and her comment that it was Vanessa’s baby all along? In what ways do you think this might affect an adoptee who is viewing this film? For the most part, Juno seems detached from her pregnancy and any bonding experience. What do you think the reasons for this detachment are? To what extent do you think she might be able to maintain this detachment in the face of the hormonal and physical changes that come along with pregnancy, childbirth, and the stages afterwards? Does Juno’s detachment seem “natural” to you? To what extent do you believe such lack of bonding or attachment is natural? Who decides what is natural? How did you feel when Juno told Bleeker that the baby starts kicking hard when she sees him?

Unlocking the Heart of Adoption

Unlocking the Heart of Adoption

Director/Writer: Sheila Ganz
Genre: Documentary
Rating: Not Rated

The lifelong adoption experience is revealed through personal interviews with adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents. The impact of adoption on a diverse group of adoption triad members is explored: transracial and same race adoptions; open and closed adoption; adoptees and birth parents that have reunited with birth relatives; and adoption experiences from different eras. All of these stories are interwoven with the filmmaker’s own experience as a birth mother.

Points to Consider

• This documentary took 14 years for Shelia Ganz to make.
• Generally, birth parents are the most under represented triad member. Most often, we hear about adoption from the perspective of adoptive parents or adoptees.
  

What Do You Think?

• What feelings came up for you as you watched this documentary? How has viewing this documentary changed any of your ideas about the adoption experience? What do you think is the best way to communicate these new ideas to people who have not watched this documentary?
  
• “When I realized social forces were behind my having no choice but to surrender my daughter for adoption, I threw my guilt away. And I forgave myself for not being able to defend myself or keep her. This freed me to speak out for the truth. It’s hard to know why some adoptees welcome their birth parents and others do not. But, I do have hope that some day we’ll be part of each other’s lives. Every year I send her a birthday card and let her know that I will always love her.” How do you feel about what Shelia says? What was your reaction to hearing birth parents’ perspectives in this documentary?
• What kind of support would have helped each of the participants in their journey? How do you think society’s opinion has affected people’s abilities to explore and integrate their adoption experience? What can we do to ensure that society is more supportive of exploring this experience and providing effective support?

Seattle Transracial Workshops and Movie Discussion

Instructor(s): Astrid Dabbeni, Shelise Gieseke
Where: Various locations in Seattle, Washington

Schedule:
Thursday, October 14 (6:00 pm – 9:00 pm)

Friday, October 15 (9:00 am – 4:30 pm)

Friday, October 15 (6:00 pm – 9 pm) 

Saturday, October 16 (9:00 am – 4 pm) 

Cancellation Policy

The decision to adopt across cultural and racial lines is a lifelong commitment to exploring matters of race, confronting racism in all its forms, and constantly developing new skills and awareness. This 2-day workshop will help you to identify assumptions, provide you with tools and resources, and create a sense of confidence as you explore your future as a transracial family. This workshop is appropriate for adoptive parents, waiting parents, and professionals.

Workshop topics will include:

• Race matters
• Development of racial identity
• Cultural competence
• Tools for creating positive outcomes
• Talking to your child about race
• Confronting racism
• Personalizing culture

Being a Family – Adjusting to Life After the Orphanage

This three-hour workshop will include material on post-institutional adjustment factors, as well as helpful strategies that parents can take home with them. The format will include both presentation and discussion. The presenter will share the latest information on potential adjustment difficulties in the areas of attachment, language, cognition, academic performance, emotional and behavioral development, and social skills. Neurological and medical findings will be highlighted, but not a major focus of the workshop.

Parents will learn how to advocate within the schools and service systems for their children’s needs. We will also discuss innovative interventions that have facilitated positive adjustment of children. Finally, we will discuss participants’ specific concerns regarding their children’s adjustment and brainstorm together about possible solutions. This workshop is designed for parents who already have adopted children from orphanage settings, and material will be tailored to this audience. However, waiting parents are also welcome to attend.

Details
Instructor(s): Ally Burr-Harris, Ph.D.
When: TBA
Where: TBA in Portland, Oregon
Cost: $45.00 per person, $70.00 per couple

Registration Form

Strengthening Attachment With Your Child

This four-hour workshop will provide you with:

• An understanding of the critical role that attachment plays in children’s development
• An opportunity to reflect on your own attachment style and how this may impact your attachment with your child
• An overview of attachment styles, unique attachment issues in adoptive families, signs of an attachment problem, and effective strategies for repairing attachment problems
• Opportunities to practice techniques that you can go home and use with your child. These techniques are designed to address attachment concerns, trauma symptoms, and problems with emotional regulation
• Support from other parents facing similar challenges

This workshop is offered twice a year. For parents of children ages 0-6 and parents of children age 7 and older.

This workshop has also been adapted to meet specific needs of certain groups upon request including foster parents, kinship adoptions, parents who adopted through the state, and parents who adopted children from orphanage settings. Contact info@adoptionmosaic.org to request a customized workshop.

Details: Instructor(s): Ally Burr-Harris
When: October 16, 2010 (Ages 0-6)
Time: 9 am to 1 pm
Where: TBA in Portland, Oregon
Cost: $60 per person, $90 per couple

Price

Single $60.00 Couple $90.00

This class is also offered on a request basis; contact us for details.

Registration Form
Cancellation Policy