A dark, fairytale-like village with glowing windows sits in the background, while the foreground is dominated by text announcing an event titled "When Permanency Breaks."

Themis Youth Law & Advocacy

Admission

LXCL:Capture the moment in a setting that feels both magical and meaningful. Reserve your spot in advance for a 15-minute photo session between 5-8 pm with Magpie Alley Photographs. Sessions include your choice of 2 fully edited images or the complete gallery of unedited photos, with proceeds supporting Themis’ ongoing advocacy and intervention work. In keeping with the beauty of the environment, guests will have the option to wear a handcrafted flower crown from The Pearled Rose, a delicate artisanal touch that adds something truly special to each portrait. Email dawn@themisyouthlawadvocacy.org to schedule your session.

Donation - Photo Package

If you would like to pay by check, please make it payable to Themis Youth Law & Advocacy. If you are unable to attend in person, checks may be mailed to 406 5th Ave., Suite 262, Brooklyn, NY 11215.

A Community Conversation About Adoption Disruption, Displacement, and the Young People Left Behind Join us at Ancient Lore Village for an evening of conversation, learning, and community. Admission is free, and appetizers and drinks will be provided. Adoption is often presented as the end of a child&rsquo;s journey through instability&mdash;a permanent family and a promise of belonging. But what happens when that promise breaks down? Join children&rsquo;s rights attorney Dawn J. Post, founder of Themis Youth Law &amp; Advocacy, for a free community conversation examining what we know&mdash;and what we still do not know, about children and young adults whose adoptions disrupt or whose adoptive families cease parenting them. Drawing on real cases, survivor experiences, and more than two decades of children&rsquo;s rights advocacy, the conversation will explore why adoptions break down, what happens to young people afterward, and the gaps in the systems intended to protect them. When an adoption ends, there is no single path forward. Some children return to foster care. Others are informally transferred or &ldquo;rehomed&rdquo; to another family, sent to residential treatment or troubled-teen programs, placed with relatives or strangers, moved across state lines or overseas, or left to enter adulthood with little or no family support. For some young people, the consequences can include:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">repeated residential and institutional placements;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">interrupted or inadequate education;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">homelessness and housing instability;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">involvement with juvenile or criminal legal systems;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">exploitation, forced labor, or trafficking;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">loss of family relationships and personal records;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">difficulty obtaining identification, benefits, or services;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">abandonment in another state or country; and</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">reaching adulthood without a safe, permanent family or meaningful support system.</li></ul>The Questions We Need to Ask How often do adoptions break down?Why is it so difficult to know what happens to children afterward?Who is responsible when an adopted child is sent away?What protections exist, and where are the gaps?What can families, professionals, and communities do before a struggling family reaches the point of crisis or abandonment? This is not simply a conversation about adoption. It is a conversation about what permanency means, what happens when it fails, and how we ensure children and young adults do not disappear between systems. Recent reporting on Themis&rsquo; work has underscored the urgency of these questions, including the story of a Haitian adoptee with disabilities who was moved across multiple countries and confined for years without adequate care or oversight before ultimately seeking freedom and returning to the United States. Free &amp; Open to the Public Adoptees, adoptive families, educators, attorneys, social workers, child-welfare professionals, students, advocates, service providers, and community members are all encouraged to attend. Come learn, ask questions, share perspectives, and join a conversation about how communities can better understand, and respond to, adoption breakdown.An Evening That Also Supports Action The evening will include a silent auction featuring unique items and experiences generously donated by local and national artists, collectors, businesses, and community partners. All proceeds will support Themis Youth Law &amp; Advocacy&rsquo;s ongoing advocacy and direct intervention efforts on behalf of young people who have experienced adoption disruption, institutionalization, displacement, abandonment, and exploitation. Donors currently include Ancient Lore Village - &nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://porterportraits.zenfoliosite.com/about-me" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Porter Portraits&nbsp;</a> - <a fr-original-style="" href="https://niekosmusic.com/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Nieko Music</a> - &nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1B1wMcKGsv/?mibextid=wwXIfr" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Lindsey Boux Glass</a>&nbsp; - <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1CGziEVvRk/?mibextid=wwXIfr" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Til Death Tattoo</a>&nbsp; - &nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.mallorybertrandphotography.com/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Mallory Bertrand Photography</a>&nbsp; - <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/MoonCatsCrafting/" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Moon Cat Crafts</a>&nbsp; - <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1H9Ur1JfLK/?mibextid=wwXIfr" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Grime Reaper Soap Company</a>&nbsp; - <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1KkqsT5Mpe/?mibextid=wwXIfr" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">James Whitehurst Glass&nbsp;</a> -&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.storyshapedstudios.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Story Shaped Studios</a>,&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://johnstonglassart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Johnston Glass Art</a>, Magpie Alley Photography, and Travis Forbes Art, with additional contributions still being added. Portraits at Ancient Lore Village Guests will also have the opportunity to capture the evening in Ancient Lore Village&rsquo;s extraordinary setting while supporting Themis&rsquo; work.For a $50 donation, reserve a 15-minute portrait session with Magpie Alley Photography. Sessions include your choice of two fully edited images or the complete gallery of unedited photographs, with proceeds supporting Themis&rsquo; advocacy and intervention efforts. In keeping with the beauty of the environment, guests will have the option to wear a handcrafted flower crown from <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.thepearledrose.com/" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">The Pearled Rose</a>, a delicate artisanal touch that adds something truly special to each portrait. Real cases. Survivor voices. Systemic questions. Community action. This is not just a conversation about reform. It is an opportunity to support action already underway, and to help build a future in which permanency means more than a promise. Admission is free. All are welcome.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; color: rgb(42, 42, 196); padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you so much for purchasing a ticket to our upcoming event. Your support means more than you know. By joining us, you&rsquo;re not only helping make this gathering possible, but you&rsquo;re also directly contributing to urgent, lifesaving work for vulnerable youth. We&rsquo;re looking forward to a great evening together with drinks, appetizers, community, and a shared commitment to making a difference. If you have any questions before the event, please don&rsquo;t hesitate to reach out. We can&rsquo;t wait to see you there. With gratitude, Dawn J. Post, Esq.dawn@themisyouthlawadvocacy.org

A Community Conversation About Adoption Disruption, Displacement, and the Young People Left Behind Join us at Ancient Lore Village for an evening of conversation, learning, and community. Admission is free, and appetizers and drinks will be provided. Adoption is often presented as the end of a child’s journey through instability—a permanent family and a promise of belonging. But what happens when that promise breaks down? Join children’s rights attorney Dawn J. Post, founder of Themis Youth Law &amp; Advocacy, for a free community conversation examining what we know—and what we still do not know, about children and young adults whose adoptions disrupt or whose adoptive families cease parenting them. Drawing on real cases, survivor experiences, and more than two decades of children’s rights advocacy, the conversation will explore why adoptions break down, what happens to young people afterward, and the gaps in the systems intended to protect them. When an adoption ends, there is no single path forward. Some children return to foster care. Others are informally transferred or “rehomed” to another family, sent to residential treatment or troubled-teen programs, placed with relatives or strangers, moved across state lines or overseas, or left to enter adulthood with little or no family support. For some young people, the consequences can include:<ul><li>repeated residential and institutional placements;</li><li>interrupted or inadequate education;</li><li>homelessness and housing instability;</li><li>involvement with juvenile or criminal legal systems;</li><li>exploitation, forced labor, or trafficking;</li><li>loss of family relationships and personal records;</li><li>difficulty obtaining identification, benefits, or services;</li><li>abandonment in another state or country; and</li><li>reaching adulthood without a safe, permanent family or meaningful support system.</li></ul>The Questions We Need to Ask How often do adoptions break down?Why is it so difficult to know what happens to children afterward?Who is responsible when an adopted child is sent away?What protections exist, and where are the gaps?What can families, professionals, and communities do before a struggling family reaches the point of crisis or abandonment? This is not simply a conversation about adoption. It is a conversation about what permanency means, what happens when it fails, and how we ensure children and young adults do not disappear between systems. Recent reporting on Themis’ work has underscored the urgency of these questions, including the story of a Haitian adoptee with disabilities who was moved across multiple countries and confined for years without adequate care or oversight before ultimately seeking freedom and returning to the United States. Free &amp; Open to the Public Adoptees, adoptive families, educators, attorneys, social workers, child-welfare professionals, students, advocates, service providers, and community members are all encouraged to attend. Come learn, ask questions, share perspectives, and join a conversation about how communities can better understand, and respond to, adoption breakdown.An Evening That Also Supports Action The evening will include a silent auction featuring unique items and experiences generously donated by local and national artists, collectors, businesses, and community partners. All proceeds will support Themis Youth Law &amp; Advocacy’s ongoing advocacy and direct intervention efforts on behalf of young people who have experienced adoption disruption, institutionalization, displacement, abandonment, and exploitation. Donors currently include Ancient Lore Village -  <a href="https://porterportraits.zenfoliosite.com/about-me" target="_blank">Porter Portraits </a> - <a href="https://niekosmusic.com/" target="_blank">Nieko Music</a> -  <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1B1wMcKGsv/?mibextid=wwXIfr" target="_blank">Lindsey Boux Glass</a>  - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1CGziEVvRk/?mibextid=wwXIfr" target="_blank">Til Death Tattoo</a>  -  <a href="https://www.mallorybertrandphotography.com/" target="_blank">Mallory Bertrand Photography</a>  - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoonCatsCrafting/" target="_blank">Moon Cat Crafts</a>  - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1H9Ur1JfLK/?mibextid=wwXIfr" target="_blank">Grime Reaper Soap Company</a>  - <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/1KkqsT5Mpe/?mibextid=wwXIfr" target="_blank">James Whitehurst Glass </a> - <a href="https://www.storyshapedstudios.com/" target="_blank">Story Shaped Studios</a>, <a href="https://johnstonglassart.com/" target="_blank">Johnston Glass Art</a>, Magpie Alley Photography, and Travis Forbes Art, with additional contributions still being added. Portraits at Ancient Lore Village Guests will also have the opportunity to capture the evening in Ancient Lore Village’s extraordinary setting while supporting Themis’ work.For a $50 donation, reserve a 15-minute portrait session with Magpie Alley Photography. Sessions include your choice of two fully edited images or the complete gallery of unedited photographs, with proceeds supporting Themis’ advocacy and intervention efforts. In keeping with the beauty of the environment, guests will have the option to wear a handcrafted flower crown from <a href="https://www.thepearledrose.com/" target="_blank">The Pearled Rose</a>, a delicate artisanal touch that adds something truly special to each portrait. Real cases. Survivor voices. Systemic questions. Community action. This is not just a conversation about reform. It is an opportunity to support action already underway, and to help build a future in which permanency means more than a promise. Admission is free. All are welcome.

Themis Youth Law & Advocacy

When Adoption Breaks Down: What Happens Next?

Ancient Lore Villages 7107 Sevierville Pike

Admission

Free

Donation - Photo Package

$50