Apple / Tree

we are an adoptee-led, supportive, social server

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About Apple/Tree

We are a supportive server for adoptees [adopted individuals] and the biological siblings of adopted persons. While there are countless groups aimed toward supporting adoptees and more specifically, our adoptive families, we've never found a public support server prepared to allow biological siblings of adopted persons to connect with adoptees. We feel this is incredibly important -- particularly with the rise of DNA testing kits.Apple/Tree aims to create a shared safe space in which adoptees and biological siblings may gather to discuss our lived experiences in community with one another.

FAQ

Q: What is Apple/Tree?
A: We are a Discord-based supportive community for adoptees and the biological siblings of adoptees.Q: What is an adoptee?
A: An adoptee typically is someone who has legally been taken in by someone who is not their biological parent(s) and raised as though they were that non-biological parent's child.Q: What is a biological sibling?
A: A biological sibling of an adoptee is a sibling [brother or sister] who is genetically | biologically, "blood related" to the adoptee, whether the biological sibling was raised in the same household as the adoptee or not.Q: Why is your server called Apple/Tree?
A: It's a play on the idiom "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".Q: How does onboarding work?
A: There is a brief questionnaire of 6 pre-join questions. New members can access our "Hive" channels, designed for everyone to get to know one another. Engagement [reacting to posts, commenting on posts, creating one's own posts at least 2-3x per week] with the group is key to accessing the remainder of the server. Those with the highest engagement gain full access after 1 week. Lower engagement, 2 weeks.Q: Do you assist with reuniting adoptees and biological families?
A: Apple/Tree is not a service dedicated to reuniting families.Q: I'm in reunion with my biological siblings, can they come to Apple/Tree?
A: Yes, please do ~_<3!Q: I've never met my siblings, but have reason to believe I am the biological sibling of adoptee[s], foundling[s] or foster[s]. May I join without my sibling[s]?
A: Please do!! You're so very welcome ~_<3.Q: How do you maintain privacy between adoptees and biological siblings?
A: We cannot control the level of privacy individuals maintain for themselves, however, we do have a few channels only biological siblings can access which mirror some channels that only adoptees can access. Shared spaces are set up for the two groups to discuss with and learn alongside one another.Q: I'm an adoptive parent {AP}, bio-parent, or the parent of a bio-sibling of an adoptee, but am not an adoptee or bio-sibling myself. May I join with or on behalf of my child(ren)?
A: We do not permit parents unless they themselves are an adoptee or bio-sibling of adoptee(s). This is a support server for adoptees and their bio-siblings. However, I do encourage parents to please reach out to us via email & let us know of your interest -- I have a dream of creating a similar space for y'all, too, but I can't do that without your support because I'm not a parent.Q: As a parent, I've concerns, for example, will there be swearing | cussing in your server? Is it "adult only" or adult content??
A: We cannot control what anyone else sees or says on the internet. We aim to welcome and support people no matter where on the globe they may come from, so there are bound to be differences in culture and acceptable language. Also, we support the US 1st Amendment of free speech, however, we will not tolerate derogatory language used to insult others. Secondly, one of the onboarding questions is, "Which life stage should we assign you?" and the choices given include --
💛 teens aged 13-17
🧡 young adult aged 18-25
💜 adultier 25+
💚 parent is any age, just with the parent designation
🤍 aces who are aged 40+
Myself and at least one other member are Aces. Teens & Young Adults cannot access the Adultier or Aces categories & can only access the Parent category if they themselves are listed as a parent. Adoptive parents aren't permitted in our server [unless they are adoptees or bio-siblings], but I do invite y'all to oversee your teen's responses to the questionnaire.Q: You don't allow younger than 13 year-olds?
A: No. Neither does Discord, officially speaking. What I will have for the younger adoptees and their parents is a list of resources which may be of some assistance. Per the writing of this FAQ, I do not have that yet, but if there's something specific you're looking for, please don't hesitate to email us & we'll try to help.Q: I represent an adoptee organization, Discord server, subreddit, or other group & we would like to discuss working with your server or interviewing your founder[s].
A: Thank you for your interest in our server. Please reach out via email.Q: My question was not addressed...
A: If you'll click the letter icon below, it will take you directly to a form with which to contact us.

Our Founding Members

Our founder and main adoptee admin is Snaffoops, an artist and crocheter from the state of Georgia. Foops is a tea-drinking zoophile who loves exploring her Appalachian roots.

Contact Us

We'd love to hear from you or have you join us!

Links + Podcasts

Below, you'll find links to resources & podcasts we at Apple/Tree have found helpful to us as individual members. We hope they help you and your community in the journey to better understanding, validating and supporting adoptee narratives. We've tried to collect adoptee centric information, however, we recognize some of these resources may not suit everyone's view of that. Thank you for your understanding and patience there.