Join us as we discuss This Land: The Grandmother Versus the Foster Parents (Season 2, Episode 3) [43 min.]

Click here to listen online before attending the discussion.

This episode is an intro into thinking about other members of families of origin who also experience grief and loss when a child is adopted outside the family. Exploration of the systemic disadvantages that relatives face when trying to be considered for placement or adoption of a child, as well as the historical trauma of Indian children disproportionally entering foster care.

Optional: Dive deeper into the topic by listening to a bonus podcast, This Land: The Heart of It (Season 2, Episode 8) [36 min.]: A look into a ceremony crafted by an Indian tribe designed to help Native adoptees reconnect with their tribes.

In preparation for the meeting, think about these discussion questions:

1. What were some of your key takeaways from what you listened to this week?

2. Were there any perspectives shared by speakers that you had never considered before, or that differed from the previous conception of adoption you had?

3. What themes did you notice between the various recordings (if you listened to more than one)? What commonalities, what differences?

4. What themes did you notice between this listening and previous ones?

5. How have you seen any of these themes or dynamics play out in any of your cases?

6. How will you apply concepts learned here to your personal networks and life domains?

7. How would you apply lessons or takeaways from this podcast to your case (or future cases)?

8. What are the tensions being juxtaposed here? What both/and(s) are apparent in this person’s story?

9. What have you learned this month from adoptee voices you’ve been following on social media?

10. Any follow-up questions, threads you want to chase?

About this Series

Through monthly "book club" style discussion-based gatherings, this training series seeks to better understand the incredibly complex experience of adoption. Using 1 podcast episode per month, as well as occasional in-session video viewings and guests, we will highlight too-little heard voices in this series, including adoptees, birth parents, extended members of first families and older youth, as well as voices from marginalized communities, such as Black, Native, and transracial adoptees. As we listen to a new podcast episode each month, we will look for themes that emerge that connect the unique stories and examine our own assumptions and beliefs around adoption. Each session, we will also discuss ways we can apply what we've learned to casework as well.

For this series, participants will get credit for each 2-hour discussion session, but also for the time they spend listening to podcast episodes to prepare. Each session is complementary and builds on things learned in previous sessions, but each session can also be enjoyed as a standalone in-service. To protect the candor and growth mindset of these discussions, sessions will not be recorded.

Registration is open to CASA of Central Virginia volunteers, staff, and board members only. Be sure to listen to the assigned podcast before the meeting date/time. The virtual meeting link will be emailed to all registered attendees 2 days prior, 2 hours prior, and 10 minutes prior to the meeting.