Death Cafe
What is a Death Cafe?
There is nothing better than a cup of tea and a good natter!
At a Death Café, people (often strangers) gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death and dying in ways important to them. They drive their own agenda and information needs and create the support they need locally. It is an enlightening experience that builds curiosity and understanding, and any topic can be discussed without fear. As a group-directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes, it provides a welcome discussion rather than a grief support or counselling session. The incredibly successful global model we have built upon for Australians’ needs, was developed by Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid, based on the ideas of Bernard Crettaz.
As part of our goal to build compassionate communities from beginning to end, we have been instrumental (under the auspices of The Groundswell Project Australia, now owned and operated by Proveda) in the development of Death Café initiatives, and now we experience wide-reaching support within local communities and with organisations, right across Australia
Recently, these successful community conversations about death and dying were held across six Australian states and territories as part of Dying to Know Day. From as far away as Busselton, Cockburn and Albany in Western Australia, Seaford in South Australia, Breakwater, Shepparton and Geelong in Victoria, Hobart and Launceston in Tasmania, Nicolls in the Australian Capital Territory and even Bowral and Windsor in New South Wales (NSW)!
We are committed to informing and supporting communities to learn more and talk more about death. Our goal is in the active education around death and dying and to no longer make this a taboo subject for those facing this stage of life.
As important as our care for the living is, at Proveda, we believe that caring about the way in which we approach death also matters. Individual choice and the involvement of loved ones is important to ensure that people are educated about their options as they approach end of life. Having conversations is important and that is what a ‘Death Café’ is all about.
Our Death Café program is accessible and free for members of the community or workplace, to attend, and we will provide the training of Death Café facilitators for a nominal fee. Having a professional background in end of life matters is not mandatory as we can train facilitators, but those who are comfortable being a facilitator will usually have some lived experience in end-of-life care and bereavement.
Let us train your people to create powerful, local Death Cafés for your community or workplace, with our assistance.
Click here to search for local Death Café events you can attend