Interview With Kourtni Rader

Kourtni Rader, Adult Adoptee Outreach Director at Holt International, is leading the 2011 Holt/Bethany Korea Adult Adopt Tour this month. Kourtni will be blogging about her experiences during the tour at Holt / Bethany Korea Adult Adoptee Tour 2011. I asked Kourtni a few questions about her role as Outreach Director and the Holt/Bethany Korea Adult Adoptee Tour.

AACT: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role as Adult Adoptee Outreach Director.

KR: Thanks Kim for the opportunity to share the Adult Adoptee Tour and a bit about myself and work at Holt with your audience. I was adopted from Star of the Sea Orphanage in Incheon, South Korea as a toddler. I grew up in Michigan and one of 12 children. My parents adopted 11 children, international and domestic.  

Interview Continued...

KR: I joined Holt International in Eugene as the Adult Adoptee Director in 2009. The position I hold at Holt is ever changing and grows with the needs of international adult adoptees. There is a misconception that I only work with Korean and international adoptees adopted through Holt. Of course the majority of adoptees I work with are from Holt and from Korea, however I’ve seen an increase in Chinese, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India and other adoptees searching for a support system in their adoption journey. We’ve also worked very hard to communicate with non-Holt adoptees to connect with us for support, resources and ways to be involved in the adoption community. Whether it is to connect with other adult adoptees, attend events, conferences, support research or return to the country we are from. There are a few things in Post Adoption Services we are unable to provide if not adopted through Holt, such as facilitating a birth search, however staying connected with Adult Adoptee Outreach does not require agency affiliation. In fact, we have many, many adult adoptees getting involved from SWS, Eastern, Children’s Home Society, WACAP, Bethany Christian Services, just to name a few. Last year Holt and Adult Adoptee Outreach was asked to support and help facilitate sessions at the First Adult Adoptee Chinese Reunion in Hong Kong. This group represented Hong Kong adoptees, not adopted through Holt from the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and New Zealand. These are only a few examples of what Adult Adoptee Outreach provides and can provide for all international adoptees. My door, phone and email is always open.

AACT: What is the Holt/Bethany Tour? When did it originate? How many years have you gone on the tour?

KR: The Holt-Bethany Korea Adult Adoptee Tour is a unique tour developed for adult adoptees and loved ones over the age of 21. There are many wonderful tours out there, however Adult Adoptee Outreach feels it’s important to provide an experience for a group of people who want to travel with others similar in age, life experiences, other spouses, adoptive parents, siblings and in a more intimate atmosphere. Another unique aspect of the Holt-Bethany tour is the collaboration between two international adoption agencies. I remember when Susan Cox brought up the collaboration between two agencies and I thought it was brilliant. At times there seems to be division to provide resources among agencies to just their adoptees and families. I feel the Holt-Bethany Tour reinforces how important it is to not only work together, but to break down walls and share resources without feeling threatened. This is the second year Sandra McLaughlin, Executive Director of Bethany Christian Services in Pennsylvania and Holt have hosted this tour. Sandra is also a Korean adult adoptee and I believe this is the only tour offered where two Korean adult adoptees lead other adoptees to search for birth families, foster mothers, visit birth cities and connect with the Korean culture and heritage. There have been variations of this tour and Holt continues to host the Heritage Tour for families and children. As long as people continue to be interested and attend we will host an adult adoptee tour.  

AACT: Can you speak to the "experience" of traveling with other KADs.

KR: Traveling back to Korea is an experience in itself. Traveling with other Korean Adoptees (KADs) is greater than an experience. It can be life changing. For many people who attend the tour this is not only their first trip back to Korea, but their first experience with other adoptees and can be intimidating.  I’m sure most people on the tour have some reservations about spending so much time with Korean adoptees, but the connecting we feel almost instantly is something you just have to experience and take my word for.  

AACT: How long is the trip? Itinerary? What are some highlights?

KR: The Holt-Bethany Tour is typically 10-12 days. We do most activities together as a group the first week. This includes visiting your adoption agency to review your adoption file. If requested, we search for birth families, foster mothers and provide arrangements for you to visit your birth city. The first week can be very emotional and we have Dr. Cho on these days to help us understand the history of adoption. We also visit a baby center, Ilsan and an unwed mother home. We do our best to incorporate lighter days before and after more intense days. The second week is where we have free days and mornings open to do what you want. I’ve attached this year’s itinerary .We change it up every year, but there are few things we do every year. Such as the Korean Folk Village, Gyeongbok Palace, East Gate Market, Chungyechun, Namsan Tower, Dinner cruise and a final dinner with Molly Holt, President Min and individuals who have helped to make our journey meaningful.

AACT: What kind of feedback to you get from past participants?

KR: The feedback we receive is positive. At the end of the Tour we ask participants to complete a survey. This is the only way we can improve and work on areas we may fall short on. For instance, the survey from the 2010 Tour said we needed to incorporate more free time. So we did for 2011. There were group activities from 2010 not scheduled this year because participants recommended something else. We listen, discuss and incorporate the feedback.

Here are a few comments from 2010 and how we incorporated the feedback for this year’s TourComment: “Would have loved a cooler time of the year--heat was oppressive. I would have shopped much more.”
Response: Last year we held the tour during summer and monsoon season (July/August). It is very hot, humid and rainy. For 2011, we moved the Tour to May/June. It’s still warm, but not during the middle of Korea’s summer.

Comment: “Orientation meeting should be delayed till the morning after arrival”
Response: For 2011 we moved orientation to Monday (the first full day of the Tour)

Comment: “Wish we had time/energy for cultural day also”
Response: For 2011 we incorporated more free time so participants have more time/energy for cultural activities.

Comment: “I can't say enough good things about the tour. Kourtni Rader and Sandy McLaughlin did an amazing job leading the trip. It was a life-changing experience for me and I feel so fortunate that Holt-Bethany offer it and put so much thought into the details. The trip strikes a very good balance between tourism/sightseeing and adoption-specific activities.”
Response: I had to throw this comment in for self-promotion. (smile)

AACT: How can we find out more information about next year’s trip?

KR: We will have more information available this fall. Seats are limited for the Holt-Bethany Korea Adult Adoptee Tour. It is best to contact me directly if you’re interested. I will put you on the 2011 list and you receive first option to secure your seat.

You can reach Kourtni by email:kourtnir@holtintl.org or call her office, 541.231.8700 ext. 186. You can also subscribe to her blog to receive automatic updates.

I know I will be vicariously following along with Kourtni and her tour group! Thank you Kourtni for a great interview and have a safe trip.