The International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) Network will
host the IKAA Gathering, the third of its kind, scheduled to take place
from August 3rd to August 8th 2010 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Korea.
The IKAA Gathering is held only once every three years in Seoul, Korea
and continues to gain momentum and significance as the most
internationally inclusive and largest Korean adoptee conference in the
world. With each Gathering in Seoul, the attendance garnered has grown
at an impressive rate, from over 400 participants representing over 15
countries in 2004, to over 650 participants from over 20 countries in
2007. The IKAA Gathering 2010 is expected to continue this tradition of
development and maturity, anticipating the participation of over 800
adult adoptees.
In addition to cultivating community among adoptees, the IKAA
Gathering 2010 will differ in its efforts to promote dialogue and a
greater understanding between the global Korean adult adoptee community
and Korean society. This Gathering will encourage cultural exchanges
that provide both communities with the opportunity to forge
international relationships and become active participants in Korea’s
globalization project by offering programming that includes “membership
training” and team-building activities, as well as a business seminar
and professional networking events with Korean nationals.
Additional new programming at the IKAA Gathering 2010 will feature
a mini-film festival, which will also be open to a Korean audience, and
an “Adoptee Amazing Race,” a series of activities specifically tailored
to adoptees returning to Korea for the first time. The Gathering will
once again host the highly successful Korean Adoptee World Cup soccer
match, a comprehensive range of workshops, forums, and presentations,
an ArtGathering, and the Second International Symposium on Korean
Adoption Studies (SISKAS), where scholars from around the world will
present their research.
Early registration for the IKAA Gathering 2010 ends on March 15,
2010. More information about registration, flight, and hotel prices
and discounts is available at
www.ikaa.org.
Formally established in 2004, IKAA is the largest existing network
of international Korean adoptees, reaching out to thousands worldwide.
Common for all IKAA associations is that they have demonstrated
long-term stability, their organizational structure and membership are
comprised overwhelmingly of adult adoptees, they have a long history
and experience working with adoptees, and they organize activities and
events for their members on a regular basis.
International Korean Adoptee Associations (IKAA) IKAA
was established to better serve the Korean adoptee community, create a
strong communication forum, build global relationships and provide a
location where Korean adoptees can turn when in need of a resource.
The mission of the IKAA Network is to enrich the global adoption
community, promote the sharing of information and resources between
adult adoptee associations, strengthen cross-cultural relations and
innovate post-adoption services for the broader international adoptee
community.
IKAA Network OrganizationsAdopted Koreans’ Association (Sweden) | Arierang (The Netherlands) | Korea Klubben (Denmark) | Racines Coréennes (France) | AK Connection (Minnesota, USA) | Also-Known-As, Inc. (New York, USA) | Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (Washington, USA)
IKAA Gathering 2010 Supporting OrganizationsKorean Adoptees of Hawai’i (Hawai’i, USA) | Asian Adult Adoptees of British Columbia (Canada) | Boston Korean Adoptees (Massachusetts, USA) | Forum for Korean Adoptees (Norway) | Korean Adoptees of Chicago (Illinois, US)
