Aberystwyth Arts Centre Death Cafe 20 March 2017





There were 7 of us at the latest Death Café in Aberystwyth. It was co-facilitated  by Nic Dunkley and Ian Kavanagh. Viv Hammond gave her apologies. Evaluations came back saying:

Overall, how would you rate this event? 5=excellent. 1=poor.

2 offered 5, 4 offered 4 and 1 offered 3.

-Thankyou, it feels like I made an important start.

-Comfortable environment.

-small group - intimate and easy to talk

-I found it really insightul, hearing others speak about what I fear

-Again, an interesting and engaging discussion

Would you say that attending this event affected your feelings about death and/or life? If yes, please attempt to say how:

 - No, but gave insight into how other people feel

 - normalised my fears and worries

 - yes, it made me feel not alone

 - it was useful to talk generally in an open way

 - thoughts around wills and material possessions after death.

 - not really affected, but v useful and thought-provoking to start to look at my feelings and explore.

How comfortable did you feel during the Death Café? 5=v comfortable, 1 = v uncomfortable

2 offered 5, 4 offered 4 and 1 offered 3.

Is there anything you can think of that would have made you feel more comfortable?

 - warmed up as it went on

 - maybe less (café) staff passing by

 - I think i was more uncomfortable beforehand than during the session

 - being more used to group

- the Arts Centre is a little noisy - only thing.

How well did the structure of the discussion at the death café work? 5= v well, 1 = not v well at all.

4 offered 5, 2 offered 4 and 1 offered 3.

Suggestions for improvement:

- works well. Environment sometimes a bit noisy

- none

- personally, I would have liked a more definite invitation to think about the moment of death and my fears around it

-found it nice how people add input and how it flows

Overall, how would you rate the facilitation of the event? 5 = excellent, 1 = poor. Any suggestions for improvement?

Ony 4 responses: one 3 and three 5s

- v relaxed and friendly

 - good location for me, and the time suited. 

How would you rate the cake and drink? 

One offered 3

Two offered 4, good coffee

Two offered 5

Please choose 3 words which best describe your eperience of death café:

thought-provoking, sharing, supportive, interesting, engaging, fun, nice, family, comforting, enlightening, informative, varied, rational realistic, friendly, useful, reassuring, open, practical.

If someone told you they were thinking of attending a death café, what would you say to them?

- that it's not morbid. An opportunity to talk about something which affects everyone.

-Go!

- Definitely!

- Go for it, it's not a sad affair.

- I did. They looked at me funny. Kinda like, "why would you do that?"

- Give it a go!I think most people would find them interesting, but obviously peope will have to decide for themselves.

- it is a positive constructive experience

Do you have any other comments you think we should hear?

 - It was really good to start to get real about my own death and feelings around it.

-Look forward to the next one!

 Having looked at the evaluations above, we have rebooked the Arts Centre for another Death Café on Monday 24 April at 7pm - 8.30pm. We shall go downstairs to the piazza café, where it will be quieter. It is a rule of Death Café that the facilitators do not set an agenda. Particpants decide what aspects of death they wish to discuss at the time. After this Death Café and the one in October, a few people have said to me (Nic Dunkley) that they want more talk of the feelings that go with our own inevitable death. So, come along and say to the group, "What I would like to talk about is....."

 

 

 

 


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