Thai Heritage Camp

For 25 years, families from around the country have gathered to share their stories and experiences as adoptive families at one of our 12 heritage camps. Come connect with old friends, make new connections, and celebrate the uniqueness of all our families. Our camps are family camps with programs and workshops for both parents and children, ages 3 to 17. Siblings who are adopted form other countries, or who are not adopted participate in all camp programming and often find it as much fun and rewarding as their Thai siblings will! Extended family, like grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. are also welcome to attend our camps.

We will have a community of counselors, age 18 and older, who will be of Thai heritage and/​or Asian heritage, so the campers have role models with them as they explore their culture at camp. Some of our counselors will also be adopted themselves.

We will also have a community of adult volunteers from the Thai community who will teach authentic workshops to our kids and parents at camp. We already have a lot of interest from the Denver/​Boulder area Thai community to help us with our inaugural Thai Heritage Camp!

Workshops specifically designed for children to explore their culture identity, promote empowerment, enhance self-​esteem, and share their experiences. Workshops and break-​out sessions for parents to connect, learn, and share our own experiences with other families like ours.

As always, we will explore the unique gifts and challenges that come with being transracial adoptive families. As our children grow, they will be dealing with issues faced by every child of color, no matter their country of birth. At camp, our children are with families just like theirs and they are surrounded by campers, counselors and community members who look like them. We enthusiastically celebrate their birth county, and we also celebrate adoption as a culture of its own. The impact and importance of being with families “just like theirs” at camp cannot be understated. It creates bonds between our children and our families that may not easily found in our communities and other areas of our daily lives.

We had a very successful camp in 2015 – combined with the Vietnamese Heritage Camp. The campers, parents, counselors, and both Thai & Vietnamese community volunteers so enjoyed being with the larger group, and learning about Thai culture and Vietnamese culture during separate workshops over the same long weekend. The Vietnamese Heritage Camp families welcomed the Thai Heritage Camp families with open arms, and loved having the Thai culture part of their camp experience. The kids and parents all connected so strongly, and immediate friendships were made. It was such a win-​win for everyone that we have decided to keep the two camps together again in 2016!

The education and support gained at one of our heritage camps goes far beyond a picnic gathering, or reunion. The workshops and speakers are of a national conference caliber, and the participation of adult adoptees at this camp makes it a remarkable, informative, and uplifting experience for the kids and parents alike.

This year’s theme is “Mekong Strong.”