Author Archives: Bert

What does(n’t) it mean to be adopted?

Posted by Bert
April 9, 2010
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Childreach, 265 Maitland St, London Satellite
Friday, 09 April 2010 @ 18:30

Transracial Parenting Networking Group London Satellite Site Presents – What does(n’t) it mean to be adopted? Dr. Robert Ballard, Assistant Professor, Communication, Leadership and Social Innovation, University of Waterloo & Ms. Sarah Ballard, M.A., Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor Grounded in the Ballards’ personal narratives, this presentation explores some of the misunderstandings and challenges faced by adoptees and their families. The Ballards offer practical experience, scholarly research, and concrete advice for adoptive families and adoption policy. There will be a Q & A session following their presentation. This event is free and open to the public! You can download a flier about the event [HERE] (.doc) and a flier about Transracial Parenting Networking Group London Satellite Site Presents [HERE] (.doc).

Adoption Stories – Helping Adopted Youth Understand & Explain Their Adoption

Posted by Bert
March 2, 2010
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Head-Royce School, Oakland, Canada
Tuesday, 02 March 2010 @ 09:00

Keynote Speaker, Robert Ballard, will address the narrative burden that is part of every adoptees journey, offering suggestions for what is required for adopted children and youth to feel in control of their own story. 
For more information and registration form, please download the PDF from [HERE].

Why a comic?

Posted by Bert
November 22, 2009
2 Comments

So, I’m a terrible artist. Ask my students. Ask my kids. I can’t draw for anything. (Once my daughter, who was 5 at the time, gave me a failing mark in a family drawing contest – yes, I’m that bad.) But, I’m pretty good with words.

And I’ve been involved in international adoption for a long time. I’m adopted (from Vietnam, like Jessica, but I was one of those “Babylift” orphans), but have been very involved in the international adoption community since 2000 as a writer, speaker, activist, community builder, research, and so on.

All this is to say that I take adoption very seriously, but I also think that humour and the ability to laugh at ourselves is key to our healing. Laughing at ourselves gives us perspective and the ability to step back and not take ourselves too seriously without minimizing the importance of the topic. So when I saw Jess’ idea, I thought, why not? Especially given that we’re both adoptees, I figured it would be fun to make fun of ourselves and the often odd life experiences we’ve had and observed.

And here we are! I hope you enjoy! Please leave feedback and let us know what you think!