Heritage Camps
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From the Camp - Sponsored
Through 9 camps, webinars, and other events, we focus on supporting international and domestic adoptive families, including adopted children (ages 3-17), parents, non-adopted siblings, and extended family. We believe that “camp never ends” for an adoptee or an adoptive family. We have programming for Young Adult Adoptees (ages 18-23) and for parent alumni. Additionally, our camps are a resource for foster parents and waiting parents.
Current research in adoption supports Heritage Camps for Adoptive Families’ approach to social integration and self- esteem building. More than just an annual vacation, HCAF fosters meaningful connections with other adoptive families and cultural communities. Family members of all ages benefit from the expertise of professionals in the fields of identity development, complex trauma, art therapy, and more, balanced with fun and engaging activities that support relationship building. Many of our workshop presenters are adoptees who bridge their professional expertise with their personal experiences.
While all of our camps include programming about the culture of adoption in general, our Heritage Camps also focus on supporting transcultural/transracial adoptive families. We connect adoptive families with authentic cultural experiences, providing positive representations that affirm the inherent worth of a child’s birth culture through fun, age-appropriate, interactive activities, and cultural/racial “mirrors” — camp counselors and presenters from adoptees’ birth cultures.