North / Central Michigan Adoptees Meetup

The Journey Home: Centering Adoptees In Healing and Connection
An adoptee-led conversation with Tanya Kaanta of the TIES Program exploring identity, culture, community, and healing.

This first speaker event of the new year features a grounded, adoptee-to-adoptee conversation between host Anna Sarkitova and guest Tanya Kaanta, Korean adoptee, sociologist, and Executive Director of the adoptee-owned TIES Program.

Together, Anna and Tanya will explore how adoptee lived experience shapes identity, belonging, and community across the lifespan, and what it looks like to build programs that honor complexity rather than erase it. Drawing from Tanya’s personal journey and her leadership at TIES, the conversation will trace how adoptee insight becomes practice: from homeland journeys and community storytelling to creating spaces that hold grief, anger, joy, and connection at the same time.

This interview will look closely at how identity is formed and integrated over time, why cultural and relational connection matters for healing, and how intergenerational adoptee community plays a critical role in that process. Tanya will reflect on what she has learned from adoptees and families over decades of work, the misconceptions about adoption she continues to confront, and the barriers adoptees face when trying to access culturally rooted, identity-based support.

The conversation will also look toward the future of adoptee-led programs, the kinds of policy changes that could better support adoptees, and what adoptees, adoptive families, and policymakers each need to hear right now.

This event is designed for adoptees and those in the adoption constellation who value honesty, nuance, and adoptee leadership.

Suggested donation: $10.00
GET TICKETS HERE

This event is part of the AAOM Speaker Series, hosted by Anna Sarkitova, international adoptee, advocate, and AAOM board member. Each session features adoptee authors, community leaders, and changemakers advancing justice, visibility, and equity for adoptees.
As a volunteer-run organization, Adoptee Advocates of Michigan uses this series as grassroots fundraising to support adoptee community-building, education, and legislative advocacy. By purchasing a ticket, you help us fairly compensate adoptee speakers for their labor and expertise and fund our 2026 advocacy efforts.

Whether you are an adoptee, part of the adoption constellation, or an ally, this series offers a meaningful way to learn, connect, and support adoptee-led work.

We look forward to having you join us.

HOW TO APPLY FOR YOUR MICHIGAN BIRTH INFORMATION
ADOPTEE WORKSHOP
This online workshop is designed for Michigan Adult Adoptees who are struggling to navigate the process of trying to get their birth information from the state of Michigan. This event is regularly hosted the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm EST.

Get help and expert advice on how to get the information you are looking for such as how to request and fill out forms or get a court order, who to contact, what questions to ask, etc.

Susan Christin is a founding member of Adoptee Advocates of Michigan and has facilitated more than 200 reunions between biological family members and adopted people through her service as a search angel. She has extensive experience in helping people get their information. Please RSVP if you can commit to attending.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85402508162
Meeting ID: 854 0250 8162

https://us06web.zoom.us/meetings/85402508162/invitations?signature=gjkNBTymaxOp7eTARomm8y1coD5vLmK0F8tC_QRNtnU
us06web.zoom.us

(All donations go to support the work of Adoptee Advocates of Michigan)

Finding Myself Through Adoptee Connection, with Patrick Armstrong

Patrick Armstrong joins Anna Sarkitova to explore identity, self-acceptance, and the power of adoptee-led storytelling and community.
This session features Patrick Armstrong, a transracial Asian American adoptee, podcaster, speaker, and community facilitator, in conversation with host Anna Sarkitova. Patrick will share his journey navigating rejection, reclamation, and self-acceptance through the framework of the Adoptee Consciousness Model.

Born in Korea and adopted to a white family in rural Indiana, Patrick brings his lived experience as an adoptee to a wide range of projects, including hosting the award-winning podcasts Conversation Piece with Patrick Armstrong and The Janchi Show, which explore adoptee stories, culture, and identity. He is also co-founder of the Asian Adoptees of Indiana, a safe and engaging community space, and All Times Are Local, a nonprofit supporting older foster youth.

In this conversation, Patrick will discuss how adoptee experiences shape identity and self-acceptance, the challenges and benefits of sharing personal stories, and the importance of community and culturally grounded support. He will also offer insights for adoptive parents and others in the adoption constellation about what it means to support adoptees as they critically reflect on their experiences.
Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the transformative power of adoptee-led storytelling and community, as well as practical insights for fostering empathy, connection, and self-understanding.

This event is part of the AAOM Speaker Series, hosted by Anna Sarkitova, international adoptee, advocate, and AAOM board member. Each session features adoptee authors, community leaders, and changemakers advancing justice, visibility, and equity for adoptees.
As a volunteer-run organization, Adoptee Advocates of Michigan uses this series as grassroots fundraising to support adoptee community-building, education, and legislative advocacy. By purchasing a ticket, you help us fairly compensate adoptee speakers for their labor and expertise and fund our 2026 advocacy efforts.

Suggested donation: $10.00
GET TICKETS HERE

Whether you are an adoptee, part of the adoption constellation, or an ally, this series offers a meaningful way to learn, connect, and support adoptee-led work.

We look forward to having you join us.