Colorado Heritage Camps

Program name
Heritage Camps Last updated 10/22/2008 by Pam Sweetser	details
HeART Talks Last updated 10/22/2008 by Pam Sweetser	details
More Than Me Last updated 10/22/2008 by Pam Sweetser	details

Heritage Camps

CHC’s programs include ten heritage camps for adoptive families, including:
--African/Caribbean Heritage Camp
--Cambodian Heritage camp
--Chinese Heritage Camp
--Chinese Heritage Camp Too
--Filipino Heritage Camp
--Indian/Nepalese Heritage Camp
--Korean Heritage Camp
--Latin American Heritage Camp
--Russian/Eastern European/Central Asian Heritage Camp
--Vietnamese Heritage Camp

Through workshops and other activities, adoptive families are provided with a unique opportunity to learn about the language, customs, art, and music of the cultures that are inherently part of their family’s life. Workshops emphasizing self-esteem, cultural differences and similarities, and adoption issues assist participants to recognize and manage the concerns facing adoptive families and the communities they live in. Adopted children and their families also have the opportunity to interact with positive role models from their culture of origin. Peer friendships are developed and promoted.

Definition of short-term success

For each camp year, short term goals include:

1. Adequate number of parent volunteers to coordinate each aspect of camp (minimum 15)
2. Camper to Counselor ratio = 5 to 1 at each camp.
3. Each camp workshop for children and teens is taught by a cultural role model, unless otherwise determined (such as adoptee panels of other cultures).
4. Parent education is evenly distributed between cultural information and parenting/adoption information
5. All cultural entertainment, workshops, activities, etc. are authentic.
6. Campers remain safe and secure in the camp environment.
7. Families are able “take camp home” with projects, information, and more cultural awareness each year.
8. Programs and activities are age appropriate and relevant.
9. Peer and mentor relationships are formed and maintained after camp.
10. Each camp is able to post a positive financial outcome after camp.

Definition of long-term success

An ultimate goal of the Heritage Camps is the development of mutual respect among children and adults from different origins and backgrounds. By learning to understand and value the cultural traditions of their roots, the adopted children are better able to incorporate their ethnicity into their very American (and very often, Caucasian) homes and communities. Likewise, adoptive parents and siblings are able to welcome and encourage the practice of customs that are inherent to their child’s self-esteem. Finally, the participants who are of the children’s ethnic background, gain a healthy respect and valued understanding of the adoptive families who love and nurture “their” children. Another important goal of the organization is the development of relationships with various cultural organizations and professionals in Colorado who provide ongoing support for adoptive families through special events and services.

Program success monitored by

Success is measured by the evaluation of specific annual goals, based on the on-line survey families are asked to complete after camp.

For 2008 these goals will include:
--60% of families will report an increase in knowledge about their child’s birth culture as a result of programs at the camps as very important or quite important.
--80% of families will report that a more positive self image as a result of their experiences at camp is very important or quite important.
--70% of families will report increased sensitivity to multicultural family issues as a result of camp programs as very important or quite important.
--70% of families will report that the participation of ethnic community facilitators is excellent or very good.
--80% of families will report that the participation of ethnic counselors is excellent or very good.

Additionally, we strive to have at least 70% of the camp participants be returning families.

Examples or evidence of program success

One of the key ways we know the camps are working are through anecdotal comments we hear or read, such as:

"Being together as a family and with friends is great, but more important is having a place where the majority of kids are Chinese and adopted. This makes our kids feel very safe and secure and confident. Also, [we benefit from] the discussions our family has after camp - related to adoption and the great positive feelings about China!” OR
“As a first generation adoptee, there were not many adoptee camps available…I missed this opportunity as a child, so as an adult, the Korean Heritage Camp fulfills a void from my childhood…I have a greater appreciation for my unique heritage and truly embrace my fellow adoptees as we now serve as role models to the next generation of Korean adoptees."

Formally, we have an on-line evaluation families can fill out after camp, which helps us see how each camp program is doing.

HeART Talks

The HeART Talks program is an exclusive program of Colorado Heritage Camps, Inc. which was developed in 2001. The overall goal of this program is to provide one hour group art therapy workshops for children (ages 3-11) at each of the Colorado Heritage Camps. These sessions offer a vital opportunity for transracially adopted children to express, verbally and non-verbally, their feelings and thoughts about their adoption experience, identity issues, perceived and real feelings of racism, etc. through carefully chosen, developmentally appropriate art therapy workshops, which may include visual art, creative dramatics, and music. The sessions also provide an opportunity for non-adopted siblings to share their feelings,which has often proven to be quite profound.

The HeART Talks program is coordinated and staffed by licenses art therapists. The program coordinator is also a transracial adoptee herself.

Definition of short-term success

Annual, short term achievements include:

1. Having a trained, experience staff of art therapists to run each program.
2. Providing interesting, meaningful, and age appropriate art activities designed to give the children a chance to express their thoughts and feeling about being adopted, being a minority, etc. in a safe environment.
3. Providing the opportunity for non-adopted siblings to understand their adopted sibling in a more meaningful way.
4. Providing the opportunity for counselor role models to share their own thoughts and feelings about being adopted or being a minority with the kids.
5. Giving parents the opportunity to meet with the HeART Talks coordinator at each camp, to gain an understanding of what general issues come up, and if necessary, one-on-one conversations over anything more serious brought up by a child.
6. Continue raising enough funding to continue providing a quality program each year.

Definition of long-term success

The success of the program is largely based on anecdotal evidence:

As one mother at Chinese Heritage Camp last year said in her evaluation, “HeART Talks is very good for my child - it is one of the main reasons we come to camp - to give her the chance to talk about being adopted with someone other than her father and me.”

These thoughts are echoed by parents with children of all ages, and by the children themselves. One mother from the Vietnamese Heritage Camp recently expressed that the art project her 5 year-old daughter created at camp (a forever home for a little orphaned bear) is one of her prized possessions that she is still nurturing almost a year later. An adolescent girl from Indian/Nepalese Heritage Camp proudly displays the collage she made of faces who look like hers, something that is hard to come by in everyday teen magazines. Three-year-olds from Russian Heritage Camp are still singing the “adoption song” they learned during their HeART Talks sessions.

Program success monitored by

Progress is monitored through evaluations by parent and children, plus counselors who attend the sessions, and by the HeART Talks staff. These are generally anecdotal comments and observations.

The goal is also to have at least 60% of the evaluation respondents rate the program as Excellent or Very Good.

Examples or evidence of program success

Anecdotal comments about the HeART Talks program:

"I really like them because while I'm doing it I make memories, too. It makes me remember that even though I'm the only adopted Indian in my school, there are other kids like me out there that go through the same things."

“I think this was one of the best workshops there was. My daughter carried her heart box with her all the way home. She also got the phone numbers of her friend and her counselor and put them in the heart box. She told me several times that her heart box was special.”

“HeART Talks is an opportunity for the children to vocally and artistically express their feelings. Through this class we as counselors were able to clear up much confusion and clearly explain to the children why they should feel so lucky to have such dear and caring parents. Why they should not feel unloved, but just the opposite. This emotional river didn't run dry when we left the classroom, rather it extended throughout the day.”

More Than Me

The More Than Me project was developed in 2006 by Executive Director Pam Sweetser for all of the heritage camps middle school campers, which is an age group that can become quite self-centered and focused on “me.” So, the concept behind More Than Me is for this age group to look beyond themselves a bit and get a chance to learn about an organization in their birth country that is helping to make a difference in children’s lives there. Then, as a group at camp, they work on a project that will help that organization and therefore have the experience of “giving back” to children in their birth country. They also develop ideas and ways to continue supporting that organization throughout the year, coming back to camp the following year with dollars or projects that offer support.

We work closely with our cultural community volunteers and affiliates to find legitimate and valuable organizations of support around the world.

Definition of short-term success

This program is only in its third year and much has been accomplished. In 2006, a total of $4,300 was raised by the kids with their camp projects (selling decorated hats, holding yard sales, special performances, etc.) and countless items of clothing, medical supplies, toys and games, etc. were collected and donated to needy organizations abroad. Using basically the same methods, the More Than Me program raised $4,378. In 2008, more emphasis was placed on the kids raising funds throughout the year on their own, in addition to the projects at camp and a total of $10,816 was raiesed for 15 needy organizations around the world.

Presentations were made at each of the camps in 2007 about how the More Than Me donations were utilized in their birth countries,s often by people directly association with the organization.

It was very meaningful for the kids at camp to hear about what their donations accomplished, often with thank you cards, pictures, videos, and stories presented.

This success seemed to be the spring board to even more involvement and interest in the 2007 More Than Me Program of which final results will be forthcoming.

Definition of long-term success

Long term success will be determined if the middle school population at the camps are able to continue supporting the organization, which they have selected at camp, throughout the year, through funds they collect themselves, or by projects such as clothing drives, collecting school supplies, etc.

The ultimate change we hope to see is for this age camper to understand the true meaning of “giving back," and to want to continue doing so for many more years.

Program success monitored by

We follow up with each organization that we support through the people who are directly associated with it in our camp community of volunteers and affiliates. We ask them to provide information, including photos, letters, certificates, etc. so the kids at next year's camp can see the results.

We also follow up throughout the year with the middle school campers, to see if they are remembering to support the organization they have chosen for next year, which in many cases remains constant. In other camps, the organization has changed each year based on information provided to the kids.

Examples or evidence of program success

In 2008, a total of 15 organizations, ranging from orphanages in Africa, Haiti, Korea, and China, to schools in India and Cambodia, to medical foundations specializing in cleft palate surgeries in the Philippines, general medical care in Nepal, and heart surgeries in Vietnam, to organizations helping children learn how to play baseball in Cambodia, to an organization working to develop clean water projects in Peru, to earthquake relief funds in China, as well as panda preserves, to sustainable housing projects in New Orleans, were helped by the middle schoolers at this years' heritage camps.

Just a few examples include, a school in India with no running water was able to purchase a pump to bring water into the building with the donations sent from the More Than Me Program. Drawstring bags filled with crayons, coloring books, and toys, made by the camp kids, brought joy to hundreds of children receiving cleft palate surgery in the Philippines. In Vietnam, a child in dire need of heart surgery was able to have her very successful surgery with funds raised by the camp middle school kids and fmailies.