Resources for Adoptees
Articles, Books, and Blogs
Explore our selection of articles, books, and blogs dedicated to adoption-related topics.
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
Support/Community Groups & Resources
Podcasts and Media
Dive into a world of insightful conversations, inspiring stories, and expert advice with our selection of podcasts and media resources for adoptees.
Want to be featured in our resources for adoptees or families? We'd love to hear from you! Share your story, expertise, or insights with our community. Email us at info@adoptivefamilytravel.com to get in touch.
Articles, Books, and Blogs
Adoptees in reunion: Moving beyond happy endings by Sarah Docan-Morgan
A Painful Truth: Guatemalan Adoptees Learn they are Fraudently Given Away
Exploring Birth Countries: The Mental Health Implications of Heritage Travel for Children/Adolescents Adopted Internationally by Laura Summerhill and Samantha Wilson - Adoption Quarterly
Exploring the Significance of Heritage Travel: A Journey Back, A Journey Forward by Tanya Kaanta and Autumn Ackerson - National Council for Adoption Adoption Advocate
I Found My Birth Mother and It Didn't Rock My Life and That's Ok
Rediscovering Latent Trauma: An Adopted Adult’s Perspective by M. Merritt
Relationships without Borders: Clinical Considerations for Search & Contact with First Families by Samantha L. Wilson and Sarah G. Kurtzahn - Adoption Quarterly
Tracing the Red Thread: Chinese-U.S. Transnational Adoption and the Legacies of "Home" - Anthropologica
Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self - David Bordzinsky, Marshall Schechter & Robin Marantz Henig: This groundbreaking book uses the poignant, powerful voices of adoptees and adoptive parents to explore the experience of adoption and its lifelong effects.
Finding Fernanda: Two Mothers, One Child, and a Cross-Border Search for Truth by Erin Siegal: Author Erin Siegal McIntyre reveals the heart wrenching story of how Mildred Alvarado, a young single mother, embarked on a dangerous mission to reunite with her two kidnapped daughters - and, simultaneously, how an American housewife, Elizabeth Emanuel, who'd been offered the girls accidentally became a reformer dedicated to an ethical adoption system.
Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds by Thomas Hübl: Spiritual teacher Thomas Hübl has spent years investigating why it is that old and seemingly disconnected traumas can seed their way through communities and across generations. His work culminates in Healing Collective Trauma, a new perspective on trauma that addresses both its visible effects and its most hidden roots. Thomas combines deep knowledge of mystical traditions with the latest scientific research. “In this way,” writes Thomas, “we are weaving a double helix between ancient wisdom and contemporary understanding.” Thomas details the Collective Trauma Integration Process, a group-based modality for evoking and eventually dissolving stuck traumatic energies. Providing structured practices for both students and group facilitators, Healing Collective Trauma is intended to build a practical tool kit for integration.
If the World Were a Village by David J. Smith and Shelagh Armstrong: By exploring the lives of the 100 villagers, children will discover that life in other nations is often very different from their own. If the World Were a Village is part of CitizenKid, a collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.
In Reunion by Sara Docan-Morgan: “Do you know your real parents?” is a question many adoptees are asked. In In Reunion, Sara Docan-Morgan probes the basic notions of family, adoption, and parenthood by exploring initial meetings and ongoing relationships that transnational Korean adoptees have had with their birth parents and other birth family members. Drawing from qualitative interviews with adult Korean adoptees in the United States and Denmark, as well as her own experiences as an adoptee, Docan-Morgan illuminates the complexities of communication surrounding reunion.
Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir by Jessica O'Dwyer: Mamalita is as much a story about the bond between a mother and child as it is about the lengths adoptive parents go to in their quest to bring their children home. At turns harrowing, heartbreaking, and inspiring, this is a classic story of the triumph of a mother's love over almost insurmountable odds.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel and Charles C. Mann: This internationally acclaimed bestseller puts a human face on the issues of population, environment, social justice, and consumption as it illuminates the crucial question facing our species today: Can all six billion of us have all the things we want?
The Adoptee’s Journey by Cam Lee Small: Adoption is often framed by happy narratives, but the reality is that many adoptees struggle with unaddressed trauma and issues of identity and belonging. Adoptees often spend the majority of their youth without the language to explore the grief related to adoption or the permission to legitimize their conflicting emotions.
Adoptee and counselor Cameron Lee Small names the realities of the adoptee's journey, narrating his own and other adoptees' stories in all their complexity. He unpacks the history of how adoption has worked and names how the church influenced adoption practices with unintended negative impacts on adoptees' faith. Small's own tumultuous search for and reunion with his mother in Korea inspired him to help other adoptees navigate what it means to carry multiple stories. His adoptee-centered advocacy helps adoptees regain their agency and identity on a journey of integration and healing, with meaningful relationships in all their family systems.
The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the healing of trauma by Bessel van der Kol: Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world’s foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments—from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga—that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain’s natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal—and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
The Intercountry Adoption Debate: Dialogues Across Disciplines: Meaningful discussion about intercountry adoption (the adoption of a child from one country by a family from another country) necessitates an understanding of a complex range of issues. These issues intersect at multiple levels and processes, span geographic and political boundaries, and emerge from radically different cultural beliefs and systems. The result is a myriad of benefits and costs that are both global and deeply personal in scope.
Adoptee Voices: A blog that supports adoptee storytelling. They offer writing groups and a blog that showcases topics around adoption.
Hyphen: A news and culture magazine, media outlet, and community partner that illuminates Asian America through investigative features on the cultural and political trends shaping the fastest-growing population in the U.S. Includes in-depth profiles of change-makers in the community and a window into the world of artists and writers who are re-envisioning and rewriting what it means to be Asian American.
Nuevasfamilias Guatemala Blog: Familias de Corazón (Families of the Heart) is a Guatemalan-based non profit organization dedicated to fostering connections between adoptive families and the birth families of their Guatemalan-born children, and to providing educational, health and nutritional support to birth families in Guatemala.
Mental Health and Wellness Resources
AAKOMA Project: The AAKOMA (African American Knowledge Optimized for Mindfully Healthy Adolescents) Project is offering 5 free virtual therapy sessions with culturally competent providers nationwide for youth ages 12-30 years old who have never been to therapy before.
Asian Mental Health Collective Therapist Directory
Beyond Words Psychological Services – Adoptee-Therapist Directory
National Directory of Trained for Adoption Competency (TAC) Mental Health Professionals
Adoption Wellness: Adoption Wellness was founded specifically for adopted individuals and their families. Led by Jaclyn Skalnik (LCSW), a trauma-informed clinician and an international transracial adoptee, the aim is to cultivate a compassionate space that nurtures therapeutic relationships, encourages vulnerability, and supports the exploration of one's complete identity. Jaclyn believes that promoting healthy post-adoption outcomes starts with pre-adoption education and intentional parenting. Jaclyn has also served as an adjunct travel staff member for Ties.
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA: Nonprofit membership organization of Asian American psychologists advancing the mental health of Asian American communities via research, education and policy.
Asian Mental Health Collective: AMHC works to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community. They aspire to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
Beyond Words Psychological Services: Searching for a competent and compassionate therapist who understands the complexity of adoption can feel like a daunting task. Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker's practice "Beyond Words" aims to provide a variety of at-home resources to help adoptees and families learn more about the services and training out there for adoptees.
Copihue Counseling: Amy Wilkerson, LCSW, is a Chilean adoptee specializing in Transracial Adoption, Pre-Adoption Support, Post-Adoption Support, Adoption Grief & Loss, Biological Family Support, and Military Spouse Support. She offers teletherapy individual sessions and group sessions, as well as training and consultations.
IAMAdoptee: IAMAdoptee seeks to curate an online community of mental health and wellness resources to help navigate the lived experience of being an intercountry adopted person.
National Asian American Pacific Islander Empowerment Network (NAAPIEN): The National Asian American Pacific Islander Empowerment Network (NAAPIEN) brings together Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) who have lived experience with mental health issues, either as individuals or as impacted friends or family. We work to support each other in a world that marginalizes AANHPIs and those of us with mental health challenges.
Origins Within: Started by Kimiko Kawabori, an adoptee, Origins Within focuses on helping people connect with their origins and themselves through Ancestral Healing and Energetic Insights. Kimiko is an Ancestral Healing practitioner passionate about helping adoptees and others find cultural connections, authentic belonging, and unconditional support from the Earth and ancestors.
Stay In, Check In with Asian Mental Health Project: Free, peer-led wellness groups for community healing hosted on Zoom.
Therapy Redeemed: Cam Lee Small, MS, LPCC, helps trans-racial adoptees and their families battle isolation and confusion through a selection of professional counseling and education services. He offers online individual, family, and group tele-health options.
The Asian Mental Health Project: Asian Mental Health Project is a non-profit organization that provides educational resources and community care initiatives that help make mental health care more accessible and approachable for the Pan-Asian community. The organization creates multimedia resources, hosts community events, and provides mental health assistance grants.
You Can Yoga: Lian Norris is a yoga instructor and occupational therapist giving compassionate, inclusive, and holistic care to people of all ages, genders, and physical / cognitive abilities. Lian holds monthly virtual yoga classes for adoptees. The gentle zoom yoga class for adoptees only is followed by a 1 hour of meeting/greeting and discussion. The intention of this class is to continue to grow support for the adoption community and provide a safe space for adoptees to share their unique stories and experiences. The class will incorporate meditation, breath work, and gentle yoga postures. Beginners are welcome!
Support Groups and Community Resources
Adoptee Mentoring Society: Adoptee Mentoring Society works towards building a community for adopted persons worldwide. They offer 1:1 virtual mentorships that are designed for adoptees to delve into their adoption story. Mentors receive training that is designed to ensure they support adoptees through listening, reframing, and offering resources and companionship. The goal is for adoptees to feel empowered and develop agency over their adoption narrative. They also offer The Adoptee Lounge that is a drop-in style support group, so adoptees can and will likely meet new individuals.
Adoptees Supporting Adoptees: Adoptees Supporting Adoptees is a non-judgmental group for adoptees to come and share their stories…to know they are not alone in their journeys. They accept positive and negative experiences. They are not doctors or psychologists, they just know what it feels like.
Adoption Mosaic: An organization that helps nurture a space where the adoption constellation/community feels valued, heard, understood, and accepted. They offer a variety of services for adoptees. They have a support group called Adoptee Beacon that focuses on exploring the layers of estrangement and fostering a deeper understanding of one's unique adoptee experience. They also host a number of events throughout the year online and in person.
- We the Experts Adoptee and Non-Adoptee Panel Series: We the Experts (WTE) is an adoptee-centered space where adoptees share their lived experiences in a supportive community. Non-adoptees are welcome to attend as listeners and learners. Each panel is recorded and provided to registrants, along with relevant resources. Topics have included LGBTQ+ and Adoptee Identity, Reunion, Relationships, Transracial Adoptee Identity, Substance Use, Birth/First Parents, and Religion.
Also-Known-As: The mission of Also-Known-As is to build a community that empowers the voices of adult international adoptees, while providing resources and space to acknowledge the loss of birth country, culture, language, and biological family.
Children's Home Society of Minnesota: They offer a variety of support groups for members of the adoption and foster care community. You do not have to be a resident of Minnesota to attend these online groups.
InterCountry Adoptee Voice (ICAV): ICAV provides a platform for adoptees to connect in, share, educate, and advocate to the wider public about the issues we face – political, social and emotional, including the not so positive aspects of intercountry adoption.
Therapy Redeemed: A Korean Adoptee Therapist, Cam Lee Small offers group and individual services for adoptees. Cam has many free resources on his website.
- Teen Adoptee Group July-August 2024 [six weekly virtual sessions open to all adoptees; with an additional training session for adoptive parents]
- Adult Transracial Adoptee Group July-December 2024 [virtual gatherings once per month from July to the end of the year]
Voices of Adoption: Voices of Adoption (VOA), founded in 2019 at Spence-Chapin, is an adoptee-led community-based space where adoptees 18+ from all over the world meet for an evening of conversation and connection. In the fall of 2022, they announced the launch of Teen Voices of Adoption, a virtual space for adoptees 13-17 years old. Both Voices of Adoption are free for all participants to join, although registration is required.
CHINA
China - Birthparent Search: A private Facebook group for Chinese adoptees and adoptive parents and other close relatives of Chinese adoptees. The subject of this group is searching for birthparents in China.
Parents and Childen Adoption from China: A Facebook group of families with children adopted from China. The group comes together to talk about common issues and topics in support of raising healthy happy children.
ETHIOPIA
Ethiopia Homeland Travel and Birth Family Contact: A private Facebook group for Ethiopian adoptive parents, adoptees, and birth parents. The group is for adoption-related homeland trips to Ethiopia.
Adoptees with Guatemalan Roots: The Facebook page for AWGR. They are adult adoptees that come from all across Guatemala. They come together to share stories of where they came from, where they have been, and where they are now!
Teens Adopted from Guatemala: A peer support group for adoptees from Guatemala, ages 13-18, designed to provide a fun small community for adoptees to connect, learn a little bit about their country, and share/relate to some of the struggles adoption entails.
INDIA
Voices of Adoptees from India: A private Facebook group for adoptees from India.
KOREA
325KAMRA: A public Facebook group for reuniting families through DNA: A group helping reunite Koreans thru the use of DNA to their Korean families.
Also-Known-As, Inc: A public Facebook group created by adoptees for adoptees: Also-Known-As, Inc., began in early 1996 out of a desire to create an organization that recognized and gave a voice to the tri-state community of people whose lives, through adoption, bridge nations, cultures and races. Their mission and programs have expanded to include not only the experiences of Korean-born intercountry adoptees, and families but, all families created by intercountry adoption and the unique experiences of transcultured people, seeking to share the human experiences of adoption.
VIETNAM
Adopted Vietnamese International (AVI) Facebook Group: A group created by Viet adoptees. For the voices of Vietnamese adoptees, foster kids, and orphans. This includes anyone originating from a Vietnamese orphanage, refugee camp, born at sea in a refugee boat or processing/detention centre, or as 2nd generation diaspora ending up in state care.
VAN | Vietnamese Adoptee Network: Originally founded in 2000, the Vietnamese Adoptee Network sought to maximize the Vietnamese adoptee experience in a caring, supportive environment by networking them to other Vietnamese adoptees and community resources. One of the primary reasons VAN was created was to have a safe medium for Vietnamese adoptees to express themselves and find their voice.
PERU
The Network of Peruvian Adoptees: A Facebook for Peruvian adoptees that hold virtual groups through the month for adoptees to connect and socialize.
MULTI CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL
Adoptees Supporting Adoptees: Adoptees Supporting Adoptees is a non-judgmental group for adoptees to come and share their stories…to know they are not alone in their journeys. They accept positive and negative experiences. They are not doctors or psychologists, they just know what it feels like.
Bridge Communications: Bridge Communications does diversity training and adoption education with a special emphasis on transracial/transcultural adoption, both domestic and international. The goal is to educate adoptive parents and adoption professionals on becoming a positive multiracial/multicultural adoptive family that allows the child to develop a healthy 1) racial identity, 2) self identity, and 3) family identity. Being a multiracial family is wonderful but it is different than being a monoracial family and it has its own challenges. Bridge firmly believes while love is the beginning of a solid foundation of a multiracial family; love is not enough in a world that is not colorblind. This is why we help parents with tools, including being able to respond to intrusive and inappropriate questions and comments about adoption and race.
AFRICA
ETHIOPIA
Beteseb Felega: Ethiopian Family Search and Adoption Connection: A grassroots effort to reunite family members separated by adoption. Restoring history and relationships through hundreds of searches solved. An American NGO registered to operate in Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Adoptees Foundation: Ethiopian Adoptees Foundation (EAF) was founded in October 2020 to provide a platform for Ethiopian adoptees to connect, explore their cultural heritage, and support each other. The organization focuses on three core missions: connect, equip, and empower.
LATIN AMERICA
Adoptees of South America + Extended Latin Americas: A peer centered group for adult adoptees from various regions of South America and Extended Latin Americas or those whose biological family have ties to these regions. Their mission is to provide adoptees with a space for connection, support and encouragement in any step of their journeys.
COLOMBIA
Healing Puentes: Healing Puentes takes a comprehensive approach to the adoption triad that involves adoptees, adoptive family members and the biological family to offer support and guidance in the search process and reunion in Colombia. The hope is to create a path for post adoption transformation, to find a way to reconnect with our roots and culture, the different aspects of our identity and bridge the spaces within
GUATEMALA
Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots: Adoptive Family travel partnered with Adoptees With Guatemalan Roots in 2023. AWGR is a charitable organization that advances education on the topic of adoption from Guatemala. Their vision is to help Guatemalan adoptees find their identity and connect to our roots in Guatemala. There were around 50,000 people adopted from Guatemala before international adoption from Guatemala closed in 2008. They are a global community of people adopted from Guatemala. AWGR seeks to build community and provide resources for Guatemalan adoptees.
Guatemalan Adoptee Futures Lab: Founded by Amalia Deloney, a futurist adopted from Guatemala. The Guatemalan Adoptee Futures Lab is the first (and only!) futures lab created by and for adoptees. They use participatory futures methods and practices to collectively explore and design futures that reimagine family + belonging, drawing on the lived experience of Guatemalan adoptees throughout the diaspora. Using a hybrid approach, they blend the creative and exploratory nature of a studio with the experimental and research-oriented approach of a lab. This fusion allows for the generation of innovative ideas and the practical testing of those ideas.
ASIA
Asian Adoptees of Canada: Asian Adoptees of Canada is a national Canadian registered non-profit organization, established for the purpose of connecting and supporting Canada’s Asian adoptee community.
PHILIPPINES
Filipino Adoptee Network (FAN): The Filipino Adoptees Network (FAN) cyber community was conceptualized by two Filipinas because of the lack of supportive websites for adoptees. Thanks to the internet, Lorial Crowder and Sharon Cuartero were reunited in 2003 after a decade of no communication. By happenstance, both wanted to develop a website for fellow adoptees from the Philippines – to speak out and share our experiences, network with other adoptees, and provide a one-stop resource portal to learn about the rich culture of the Philippines and Filipino communities in the United States and elsewhere. The FAN website was created to provide the online community that was not available to older adoptees as we were growing up; and to be a support network to adoptees as they venture to cope, understand, share and celebrate their adoption.
KAZAKHSTAN
FRUA: FAMILIES FOR RUSSIAN & UKRAINIAN ADOPTION (FRUA) offers hope, help and community for families completed through adoption in Eastern European and central Asian countries. An international 501(c)(3) support organization with chapters across the US and members around the world, it is an all-volunteer organization. FRUA focuses on international adoption support resources, providing a relationship structure that nurtures children and parents, as well as access to family support resources, an understanding community and the FRUA National Education Conference. The adopted children of FRUA’s families come from all former Soviet block countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Romania and many more. FRUA celebrates the rich heritage of our children’s birth countries and our Orphanage Support efforts ensure we never forget the children left behind in those orphanages.
Kazakh Aul of the United States: This organization serves to educate and enrich the lives of children from Kazakhstan who are growing up in the US. Together with their families, children participate in Kazakh heritage camp and cultural education to develop a deeper sense of knowledge and understanding of their birth culture, and how they fit into both the Kazakh and American worlds. Kazakh Aul of the United States host Zhailau Heritage camp annually in New Hampshire.
Kazapalooza: Kazapalooza is a fun-filled weekend reunion of families who have adopted children from Kazakhstan. It is held annually on the third weekend of June.
KOREA
G.O.A.’L – Global Overseas Adoptee Link: An adoptee-led organization that acts as a ‘link’ between adult adoptees and their native country by providing services and resources to its members, creating partnerships, and collaborating with governmental and nongovernmental organizations while serving the local and greater communities.
InKAS – International Korean Adoptee Service, Inc.: InKAS is a non-profit Korean post-adoption organization established in 1999 to protect the welfare and rights of all overseas adoptees and adoptive families. InKAS provides ongoing services and assistance for Korean adoptees and their adoptive families as well as support adoptees to discover their heritage and recollect a sense of unity as an ethnic Korean.
KAAN….Korean American Adoptive Family Network: Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network. Adoptees, Adoptive Parents and Korean Americans are involved in this organization, making it a most inclusive organization. KAAN is a network that links individuals and organizations across the United States and Canada.
SEJONG: Sejong fosters a sense of Korean-American cultural identity for families formed by adoption, birth, marriage, or choice; through education, mentorship, and community building.
EUROPE
RUSSIA AND EASTERN EUROPE
FRUA: FAMILIES FOR RUSSIAN & UKRAINIAN ADOPTION (FRUA) offers hope, help and community for families completed through adoption in Eastern European and central Asian countries. An international 501(c)(3) support organization with chapters across the US and members around the world, it is an all-volunteer organization. FRUA focuses on international adoption support resources, providing a relationship structure that nurtures children and parents, as well as access to family support resources, an understanding community and the FRUA National Education Conference. The adopted children of FRUA’s families come from all former Soviet block countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Romania and many more. FRUA celebrates the rich heritage of our children’s birth countries and our Orphanage Support efforts ensure we never forget the children left behind in those orphanages.
Podcasts and Media
ABC Adoptees Born in China: Same China. Different stories. Chinese adoptees’ stories and the stories of those lives they have become a part of. This podcast acts as a personal journal, archive, and resource for adoptees and others.
Adapted Podcast: Adapted Podcast explores the experiences of Korean adoptees, from post-reunion stories, living in Korea as adults, identity and belonging and more.
Adoptees Dish: Adoptee Dish is an adoptee centered podcast elevating experiences and the lived experience of those impacted by the complexities of adoption. Hosted by Amy & Marcela, who are both international & transracial adoptees as well as licensed clinical social workers. Their insights are both personal and share a clinical lens.
Adoptees On: Adoptees On is a gathering of incredible adopted people willing to share their intimately personal stories about the impact adoption has had on their lives.
All Relative: Defining Diego: Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted, and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds.
Born In June, Raised in April:Nationally recognized thought leader, April Dinwoodie, hosts a personal journey while exploring her adoption experience. The podcast follows her as she examines her efforts to find love, identity, family, and connection. Each month April will candidly interview, discuss, and unravel, all matters surrounding adoption.
INFATU ASIAN Podcast: A show where they aim to illuminate and elevate Asian culture and creators. New episodes every Wednesday. Tune in each week as Curtis and friends discuss ways that Asian creators and Asian culture make our lives more interesting.
The Empowered Adoptee Podcast: A podcast helping to empower and heal the adoptee community by creating a safe space to share stories, tools, and learn new skills to navigate adoptee life.
The Lost Quetzals: Guatemalan Adoptee Journeys: A beautiful collection of Guatemalan adoptee stories. The journey from being adopted to where life has led them today. Stories, facts, and a spotlight into what Guatemalan adoption was and the many lives it has impacted. Our stories finally being told. Our voices have been silenced for so long, and now we are finally sharing our experiences and getting back in touch with our Guatemalan roots. Together, we make a new kind of family, one that understands and supports each other. This podcast holds the stories of the lost quetzals.
Finding Family: A reporter shares her personal story of adoption and reunion
Found: After DNA tests reveal them to be cousins, three girls adopted by different American families travel to China in hopes of meeting their birth parents.
SideXSide Reflections on the Adoptee Journey: Side by Side is a large scale documentary and oral history project, telling the story of 65+ years of inter-country adoption out of South Korea and 100 individuals, born in Korea, 1944–1995. Filmmakers, Glenn Morey and Julie Morey, take an international journey through the personal memories and experiences of abandonment, relinquishment, orphanages, aging out, and intercountry adoption — 100 individual stories, filmed in 7 countries, 6 languages, 16 cities.