5 Ways You Can Spread Adoption Awareness

Whether you’re a birth mother, an adoptive parent or an adoptee, you’re part of a special process that creates thousands of families each year. Unfortunately, not a lot of people know about the truth of modern adoptions and the joys they bring to so many people. By being a part of the adoption triad, you are on the front lines of the adoption conversation.
Because of your unique situation in the adoption process, you have the ability to educate and spread awareness about the realities of adoption and create a community for birth moms, adoptive parents, adoptees and people considering adoption. But, how exactly do you do that?
We’ve compiled a list of some of the ways you can share your adoption experience and spread awareness below:

1. Share your adoption story.

The best awareness of adoption comes from word-of-mouth conversation between people. If you’re comfortable doing so, share your adoption story with whomever asks and whenever it’s appropriate. Adoption is something to be celebrated, and the best way you can communicate your pride is by expressing your excitement through your own words.

2. Get involved with adoption groups.

Whether you’ve adopted domestically, internationally or through foster care, you can get involved in organizations that benefit any of these kinds of adoptions. For example, you might volunteer with local charities and foster care organizations to donate your time and effort toward making the lives of children awaiting adoption better. Foster care providers are always looking for donations of clothes, toiletries and more to make foster children feel more at home in their new environments, and there may be fundraisers that you can attend with your friends and family to raise money for these organizations.

3. Use social media.

Social media accounts are the most popular way to share adoption stories and adoption information these days. If you follow social media accounts for adoption organizations, you have easily “shareable” information right at your fingertips. When you post your own adoption stories, use appropriate hashtags like #Adoption, #AdoptionRocks and #AdoptionisLove so other families, birth moms and adoptees can see your posts as well. You can also keep an eye out for specific hashtags at certain times of the year, like during Infertility Awareness Week or Foster Care Awareness Month.

4. Communicate with your local representatives.

Adoption, including the legal requirements to adopt and the resources allocated to the state foster care system, is largely regulated by state legislatures. As a citizen, you can make your voice heard by supporting adoption-positive legislation and communicating to your local representatives regarding the legal support they should show for adoption-related issues. Something as simple as a declaration of awareness during an adoption awareness month can be helpful in educating the public about the realities of the adoption process.

5. Be a positive example of adoption for your community.

One of the most direct (and easiest) things you can do to spread awareness in your community isn’t by doing anything special — just by being a great person who happens to be an adoptive parent, birth parent or adoptee. When you make adoption an open and honest conversation among your family and friends, you help them see that adoption is a normal and beautiful way to create a family — nothing to be ashamed of at all.
These are just a few of the ways that you can help spread awareness and educate your community about adoption, but there are plenty more. Spreading this awareness is not only important, but it can be fun for all involved, which is why it’s encouraged that anyone involved in the adoption triad do all that they’re comfortable with to share their adoption story and make adoption a household discussion.