AK Connection
PAST EVENTS
May 2010
Adoption and Ambiguous Loss: A Presentation by Jae Ran Kim
Date: Thursday, May 27
Time: 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Location: Carlson School of Management, Room 1-142, University of Minnesota
AK Connection is proud to host "Adoption and Ambiguous Loss:" A Presentation by Korean adoptee Jae Ran Kim, MSW, LGSW, and Doctoral Student at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work.
For many adopted persons, the lingering effects of ambiguous loss follow us through to other relationships in our lives. Recognizing ambiguous loss is not about pathologizing adoptees - in fact, most people have experienced some form of ambiguous loss in their lives. What is ambiguous loss and how does this phenomenon affect adoptees, adoptive parents and birth familes? Jae Ran's presentation will attempt to define ambiguous loss and to present ways for those of us who have experienced adoption to learn to live with the ambiguity and to feel validated with regard to the full range of our feelings.
The presentation will start at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by time for Q & A. Light refreshments will be provided.
This event is free and open to the public. Please feel free to extend an invitation to your friends and family. Attendees wishing to support AK Connection's programming are encouraged to become paying members of AK Connection before or at the event. Membership applications are available at www.akconnection.com.
AK Connection would also like to thank the Consortium for the Study of the Asias at the University of Minnesota for their support of this event.
April 2010
HERE book release event
Please see below for details on the HERE book release event. AK Connection has been a longtime supporting organization for this project.
Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Intermedia Arts
Street: 2822 Lyndale Ave. S.
City/Town: Minneapolis, MN
Arts & Cultural Heritage Series 2010 presents:
"HERE" book release and signing, free and open to the public.
With book creators and contributors Kim Dalros Jackson, Heewon Lee, Jae Ran Kim, and Kim Park Nelson.
Please join us to celebrate the release of the first book of photos and oral histories documenting the vibrant population of adopted Koreans living in Minnesota.
We have waited over six long years for this day. Many, many thanks to everyone who participated and contributed to the HERE book over the years and a thousand thanks to Kim Dalros Jackson who believed in the HERE project, rallied support, raised money, arranged distribution and saw it through to the beautiful end.
Shinparam Korean drumming will kick off the event, followed by a short panel discussion and a lunch catered by King's restaurant.
We hope to see you there!
March 2010
AK Connection March Dinner
You're invited to join AK Connection for our March monthly dinner on Thursday, March 18, 2010 starting at 6:30 pm at Grand Szechuan in Bloomington.
Adult Korean adoptees, their friends, and their family members are welcome to attend. Guests are responsible for their own meals and drinks. Please RSVP to akconnection.mn@gmail.com.
The tubing hill features lighted, groomed lanes and a tow rope. Once you have purchased a tow ticket in the main chalet, you can tube for the rest of the day.
Please RSVP to akconnection.mn@gmail.com. For more information on snowtubing, please go to: http://www.theodorewirth.org/tubing.cfm.
January 2010
IKAA Gathering Info Sessions
AK Connection invites you to a presentation about the upcoming IKAA Gathering. The Gathering is a conference for adult Korean adoptees, their spouses/partners, and their children that will take place from August 3-8, 2010 in Seoul, South Korea. The AK Connection presentations will include information about Gathering registration, a preliminary Gathering schedule of new and returning sessions and activities, basic information about traveling to Korea, and a chance to chat with past organizers and participants.
Please plan to attend one of two identical presentations:
Thurs. Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. at Panera Bread by Southdale in Edina
OR
Sun., Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. at the coffee shop in the Cheapo on Snelling in St. Paul.
Please RSVP to akconnection.mn@gmail.com for the session that you'd like to attend.
Although AK Connection will be offering additional Gathering Information Sessions over the next six months, we encourage you to attend a session and consider registering for the Gathering in January. The Gathering's early registration discount ends on February 15th.
Please help us spread the word about the Gathering in the Korean adoptee community, and bring a friend to the sessions.
Holidazzle Event
| Date: |
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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| Time: |
6:00pm - 10:00pm
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| Location: |
The News Room
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| Street: |
990 Nicollet Mall
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Minneapolis, MN
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Mark your calendars - on Thursday, Dec. 3rd, AK Connection members will be watching the Holidazzle Parade in Downtown Minneapolis. We will be meeting and socializing at the News Room, which is located at the corner of 10th and Nicollet. See more about the Holidazzle at http://www.holidazzle.com/
Please RSVP on Facebook or at akconnection.mn@gmail.com. Family and friends are welcome to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!
September 2009
Joint dinner at Old Chicago (Uptown) - Korean Language and Culture Meetup and AK Connection. This is our first joint event for adopted Korean adults and those interested in Korean language and culture.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
6p.m. dinner
Guests are responsible for their own meals and drinks.
Happy Hour ends at 6, so arrive early if you want to grab a cheaper drink before dinner.
Old Chicago (Uptown)
2841 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408
612-870-1918
Parking lot and on bus line
October 2009
Chusok Cooking Celebration
Save the date: October 3rd, Mpls. Exact time and location TBA.
Celebrate Chusok by learning to cook traditional Korean food. Hanboks from the Hanbok bank will also be available.
August 2009
AK Connection Annual BBQ/Picnic
Saturday, August 1, 5:00pm - dusk
Brookview Park, Golden Valley, MN
May 2009
Dinner and Karaoke at Pagoda
- Friday, May 22
7p.m. dinner, guests pay for food and drink
8:30p.m. FREE singing room (paid for by AKC) until 10:30
Pagoda (Dinkytown, UMN)
1417 4th St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
612-378-4710
http://www.pagodadinkytown.com
February 2009
AK Connection Dinner
Thursday, Feburary 19, 2009
6:00 – 8:00PM
Pancho Villa Restaurant
2539 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
(612) 871-7014
Adopted Korean adults, their friends and family are welcome to attend AK Connection dinners. Guests are responsible for their own meals and drinks.
AK Connection Red Devils Bowling
AK Connection will not be bowling this season. Please contact us if you are interested in joining a future bowling league.
December 2008
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AK Connection Dinner
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
6:30 – 8:30PM
Hoban
1989 Silver Bell Road
Eagan, MN 55122
Adopted Korean adults, their friends and family are welcome to attend AK Connection dinners. Guests are responsible for their own meals and drinks. -
October 2008
Happy Hour and Networking in October:
Thursday, October 16, 2008, 5-7p.m.
Bev's Wine Bar
250 3rd Ave. N.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
http://vita.mn/venue_detail.php?venue_id=3912
Adopted Korean adults, their friends and family are welcome to attend our first Happy Hour Networking event. 21+, Happy Hour drink prices available. Guest are responsible for their own food and drinks.
September2008
Join us for the next AK Connection Monthly Dinner:
Wednesday, September 10, 2008, 6-8p.m.
India House
1400 Nicollet
Minneapolis, MN 55403
http://www.indiahouseeatstreet.com/index.html
Adopted Korean adults, their friends and family are welcome to attend AK Connection dinners. Guests areresponsible for their own meals and drinks.
August 2008
Annual BBQ/Picnic
Where: Brookview Park - Small Shelter, Golden Valley, MN
What:Come and join AK Connection for our Annual BBQ / Potluck at Brookview Park. We will be grilling as well as providing some Korean food. It is a POTLUCK so please bring a dish or snack to share. BYOB: beer & wine are permitted, but you must be over 21 to enjoy
July 2008
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Monthly Dinner!
Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 6:30pm
Tanpopo Noodle Shop in St. Paul
- June 2008
- Membership Drive featuring our new Hanbok Bank!
Sunday, June 1st from 11am - 2pm. We will kick-off our membership drive by giving full-access to our hanbok bank to all paying AK Connection members (you can sign-up to become a member at the door).
This event will give you a chance to learn more about AK Connection, what your paying membership entitles you to, a chance to purchase a hanbok either for yourself and/or child if you have a child, mingle with other adoptees in the area, eat some Korean food and watch the IKAA Gathering 2007 video.
The event will be held at the Midtown YWCA of Minneapolis which is located at 2121 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55407. It is right off of the Hiawatha Lightrail "Midtown/Lake Street" stop. There is a huge parking lot that is free to park in, making it convenient and easy for you to attend the event.
- Dialogue over Dinner Series
AK Connection announces our new "Dialogue over Dinner" series. 3 dinners over the course of 3 months offers you the opportunity to meet other adult Korean adoptees, sit down over Korean food and talk about the varying experiences we share that relate to being an adopted Korean. This series of dinners is exclusively for adult Korean adoptees. You do not have to attend all 3 of the dinners to participate. You can pick and choose which ones you want to attend. It might be all three, it might be just one - it's your choice!
Where:KumGangSan Korean Restaurant.
694 Snelling Ave N., St. Paul, MN 55104.
651-645-2000. Participants are required to pay for their meal.
When:
Dinner #1: Thursday, April 10th from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Focus of dialogue: "Growing Up Stories."
The focus of this discussion will center around our lives leading toward adulthood and what we experienced as a result of being an adopted Korean. Each of us was adopted at various ages and grew up in different sized cities and families, therefore resulting in our own unique upbringing. However, we all shared a common experience of being one of the few, if not the only Korean adoptee in our neighborhood, schools, etc. How did we live through these pre-adulthood years, what were our challenges, who were are mentors, and how do these early experiences impact us as adults?
Dinner #2: Wednesday, May 14th from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Focus of dialogue: "Birth Search Stories."
The focus of this discussion will center around individual's birth search stories and their interest in searching for birth relatives. You need not have already searched for birth family to attend. There are many ways in which people try to re-connect with their birth families and there are a variety of results of a birth search. The emotional, mental and physical experiences that happen throughout a birth search can vary from one person to another. Likely there are very personal and sometimes difficult lessons learned as one searches for birth family. Their are two purposes for this dialogue. One is to encourage everyone to share some of their birth search story and the other is to promote the interest of those who are interested in starting a birth search.
Dinner #3: Tuesday, June 10th from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Focus of dialogue: "Experiences in Korea."
The focus of this discussion will center around the various experiences that adoptees have had while in Korea. From working in Korea, to school programs, to tours, and to general travel, here is a place to talk more about it and share what it was like to be a Korean adoptee in Korea. Again, you need not have already been back to Korean to attend this dinner. If this is the case, we encourage you to come to hear more about the stories others have had and ask questions about other people's experiences in Korea.
March 2008:
- AK Connection Dinner at Chiang Mai Thai
Tuesday, March 25
Dinner 6:30 - 8:30p.mThis event is a casual way to meet and chat with other AKs.
Chiang Mai Thai
In Calhoun Square in Uptown, outside entrance
3001 Hennepin Ave S
Mpls, MN 55408
Tel: (612)827-1606Chiang Mai Thai is a local favorite and has been selected by City Pages as the Best Thai Restaurant four years in a row.
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Kim Park Nelson lecture series
Tuesday, March 11AK Connection strives to promote awareness of Korean adoption issues. We are honored to collaborate with the Asian Law Students Association at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in presenting Kim Park Nelson in the following lecture series:
1. Racial Identity on Tuesday, February 5. Examining the role of race in experiences of Korean adoption
2. Economics of Adoption from Outsiders Within on Tuesday, March 11.
A look into transracial and transnational adoption as an act of white privilege and as part of an industry of international supply and demand.TIME: 7pm - 9pm
WHERE: University of St. Thomas School of Law Building / Room MSL 334
1000 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
WHO: Adult adoptees and their friends and family, adoptive parents, and anyone with interest in international adoption
** Parking is available on the street or at the ramp at 11th Street and Harmon Place**
**We will break in the middle of each lecture and light refreshments will be provided**ABOUT KIM PARK NELSON:
Kim Park Nelson is a scholar and educator of Korean adoption, Asian American Studies, American race relations, and American Studies. Between 2003 and 2006, she collected 73 oral histories from Korean adoptees in the United States and the around the world. She also developed and taught the first college course on Korean adoption in the United States. Her Ph.D. dissertation, which will be completed in 2008 at the University of Minnesota American Studies Department, is titled "Korean Looks, American Eyes: Korean American Adoptees, Race, Culture and Nation." This research explores the many identities of adult Korean adoptees, as well as the cultural, social, historical and political significance of over 50 years of Korean adoption to the United States. In addition, Park Nelson also participates in public engagement work through presentations and community-based projects focusing on transnational and transracial adoption in the United States.
November 2007:
- Dinner at Mai Village from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Address and phone number for Mai Village:
394 W University Ave, St Paul, MN 55103
Phone: (651) 290-2585
August 2007:
- 31 July - 5 August:
IKAA Gathering in Seoul, Korea
September 2007:
- 22 September:
Annual BBQ/Potluck from 5:00pm - Dusk
October 2007
Happy Hour at Temple from 4:00pm - 6:00pm - Membership Drive featuring our new Hanbok Bank!
