Engagement session information:

• The first engagement session is Sept. 18, 2024, from 4 - 6 p.m. 
• Participants must be 18 or older. 
• Accommodations: For accommodation requests or registration questions, contact Betsy   Hodek at betsy.hodek@state.mn.us. 
• Location: All meetings will be hosted in person and via Zoom. Meeting links will be sent to those who register. 

If you are interested in participating, please register using the QR code below or this link: Registration Form for Engagement Session.

The next engagement session will be scheduled and posted in the near future.

The 2nd Personal Belongings Engagement session is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, 2025, from 4:00-5:30 pm. 

This meeting will be a virtual and we will be discussing the smaller workgroups in more detail. 

In the 2nd PB Engagement meeting we will be discussing the smaller workgroups in more detail. It will be our hope to get to confirm the main topic(s) of focus for each workgroup and get the workgroups form so that they can get up and running after this meeting. 

Going forward it is our hope and intention that the workgroups will meet monthly, or as often as agreed upon within each workgroup, to keep the personal belongings engagement project moving forward.

We will continue to schedule quarterly meetings to touch base and share updates on how the workgroups are progressing. 

In this meeting, we will continue where we left off at our January quarterly meeting and continue to solidify the smaller workgroups and finalize the main topics for discussion. We'd like to make sure everyone that would like to participate in a workgroup is assigned to one, with the intention that workgroups can begin working together in the next month or so. It is our hope that workgroups can meet monthly or as needed, and we'll continue to hold quarterly meetings to share updates and track progress. We also have some exciting news to share with the group!

“Personal Belongings” Project: Returning Records to Adoptees & Birth Families

June 18 @ 11:30 am - 1:00 pm      REGISTER

The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) is working to return approximately 9,500 personal items to adoptees and birth families, some dating back to 1885. This session explores the complexities of such efforts, drawing from a similar 2019 initiative in Seattle, where over 3,000 adoption files were audited and items returned. Attendees will gain insight into structuring large-scale record restoration projects, navigating ethical dilemmas, and overcoming challenges to ensure adoptees have access to their personal histories.

Angela Tucker is a Black transracial adoptee and the author of “You Should Be Grateful:” Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption, published in April 2023 by Beacon Press. Her search for her biological family was featured in the documentary CLOSURE, which premiered on Netflix in 2015. In 2022, Angela founded the non-profit Adoptee Mentoring Society, offering virtual mentorship for adoptees worldwide. With 15 years of experience in child welfare, she has appeared on CNN, Red Table Talk, The New Yorker, and more, advocating for adoptees. Angela lives in Seattle, WA.

PLEASE NOTE: To receive a certificate of attendance for the live webinar, attendees must register individually, attend the entire training, and watch from their own device to ensure proper tracking