The ThinkOrphan Podcast 1MILLIONHOME

In episode 218, we hear from lawyer and professor, Elizabeth Kirk. Elizabeth is the Director of the Center for Law and the Human Person, as well as a research associate at The Catholic University of America. Her work spans a variety of law in child welfare, parental rights, and adoption policy. In addition to her career, her lived experiences as an adoptee and an adoptive parent, give her a unique perspective and voice to speak into the conversation happening around adoption today. She talks with Brandon about the role that infant adoption could play following last year's Dobbs decision at the Supreme Court, misconceptions around adoption, as well as insight on the decision making process for women that have an unplanned pregnancy.

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Resources and Links from the show

LifeMark movie
Show Notes


Elizabeth shares her background and what drew her into this work (5:20) The role of adoption in a post Roe vs. Wade world (13:00) Overviewing pro-choice arguments against adoption (14:52) A view of pregnancy that includes communities (18:20) Mothers and decision making in adoption (24:50) A global south perspective (27:20) Misconceptions concerning adoption (29:00) Elizabeth’s adoption experience and a story from a birth mother (35:20) Is adoption a viable option in a birth mother’s mind? (49:00)

In episode 217, we have a special on the ground episode to share how one organization's journey and commitment to reunifying families has inspired others. Trust for Africa's work in Lesotho has gone beyond their own organization and now supports other organizations to transition to family-based care. Naomi Schalm, Mafusi Semethe, Mbele Horoto, and Bokang Lipholo all join us in this conversation to celebrate the movement underway in Africa's "Kingdom of the Sky."

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JOURNEYHOME is offering online courses and practical resources for reforming models of care throughout the world. Created by seasoned frontline practitioners, the instructors in our community share field-tested and solution-based content to safely and effectively get kids home.

Resources and Links from the show

Trust for Africa

On the Ground in Lesotho- The Power of Family Reunification
 
Show Notes
The challenges for children in residential care (4:45)  Ramping up family tracing efforts (5:48) The hard work of individualized care plans (6:55)  Importance of follow-up after placement (7:40)  One 12 year old’s journey home (10:20) Another story of family separation and reunification (12:40) Are we including children in their restoration? (15:20) Mafusi asks what can we do differently?  (18:15) The start of training other orphanages and childcare workers (19:20) Making plans to reunify children (20:30) Family strengthening programs (23:00) The importance of following up with families (26:00) Emotional and psychological challenges for children in care and building resilience (28:15) Resolving misunderstandings (30:00) Mbele on children aging out of the orphanage (39:00) On influencing the country and bringing change (41:30) Concerns about transitioning (42:10) Director of an orphanage, Bokang, shares about kids aging out (45:30) Addressing more than material needs (46:40) Children visiting families during holidays (48:40) A vision to help more children with a different model (49:30)  
Visit thinkorphan.com for additional resources and stories.

In episode 216, we hear from US care reform leader, Sarah Winograd from Together for Families. Sarah speaks passionately about the complexities in child welfare and foster care as a system, how poverty contributes to family separation, and the problematic ways we've seen and judged birth families. She asks the hard questions- if most children aren't coming into foster care because of abuse, what resources and systems are we investing in to keep those families together? What are we doing to intervene and stabilize families in order to prevent separation and keep children in families? Can the church do better?
Full show notes can be found at thinkorphan.com

In episode 215, we have the privilege of sitting down with Jenn Hook to glean from her experiences in the foster care system and hear about her newly released book, Thriving Families. Jenn is the Founder and Executive Director of Replanted. She's also the author of Replanted: Faith Based Support for Adoptive and Foster Families.

 
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Full show notes and links can be found at thinkorphan.com

In episode 214, we've got filmmaker and justice advocate Jeff Rogers on the show. Jeff talks with us about his work over the years that has highlighted and advocated for children outside of parental care and communities that have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. Jeff shares with us about the new feature documentary Beyond the Island which tells the story of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea and highlights the work of advocates and the triumph of overcomers. Through the conversation, we learn more about the role that filmmaking plays in enacting community change and advocating for vulnerable children.
Full show notes can be found at thinkorphan.com

In episode 213, Brandon and Phil reflect on 2022 and look forward to 2023 for the podcast and orphan care ministries. This is our annual show to share the state of Think Orphan and what exciting things are coming down the pipe for the podcast. We want to hear from you while we do it all!
Full show notes can be found at thinkorphan.com