OUR BELIEFS AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOUR FAMILY EXPERIENCE

• We encourage each family to think carefully about the depth of the adoption exploration that feels right for their family and furthermore for each child within their family.  Some families choose to visit their child’s country of birth to experience the culture and the people in a more general way, saving the experience of making deeper connections for another time, when there child is more mature.  Others choose to visit the place of birth or founding, or orphanage on their first and maybe only visit.  For some families it feels right to request to meet foster families, nannies or birth family.  We do not feel it is our role to encourage or discourage a family in their decisions.  Rather, we guide families through this decision making process, helping them understand the potential impact on their child, the cross cultural issues involved, and the lifetime nature of their decisions.  Then, with that understanding, we feel it is important for us to support each family by facilitating those points of connection, and by continuing to help the families, especially the adoptees, process the experience of being in their birth country.  This is a journey like no other as your children are not simply "visiting" someplace...they are "feeling" a place that is at the core of who they are. 
• We believe it is important for children to have their first experience visiting their birth country in the company of their primary support system.  This is a very emotional experience at any age.  So, we prefer to have adoptees of any age travel with parents, close relatives or friends, or spouses. 
• Because we are a family organization, traveling with a variety of generations—kids, parents & grandparents, our programs are set up with a variety of experiences as well as choice in degree of activity levels.  While some groups may be able to visit every temple or museum, Ties Programs visit a mix of tourist sites, adoption related experiences (like orphanages and maternity homes) and “play stops” like a pizza party or beach stop.  By offering an array of activities, we feel the needs of the group are best met. 
• We believe all activities need to be optional....not in the sense that everything costs extra (it doesn't!), but in the sense that YOU need to feel free to opt out of anything you would prefer not to participate in.  Actually, most families opt out of one thing or another--sometimes families just need a break!  We are fine with that!  We want the journey to be YOUR journey. 
• We believe families process a homeland journey in many stages lasting a lifetime.  Therefore, we provide information to families in monthly mailings, provide for “talk time” in-country, and the availability of our staff including social workers before, during and after the journey.