Death Cafe write-ups
Wimbourne Death Cafe Colourfest Write up
Posted by Marisa Picardo on June 10, 2018, 6:15 p.m. 1 comment
Death Café has been presented and offered at different festivals before. This was Colourfest's first Death Café and my first time to run one at a festival, so I was so delighted to be hosting this one. This festival is described as “A dynamic, beautiful & constantly evolving gem of a gathering celebrating life through connection, ceremony, yoga, dance, music, art, theatre & playfulness.”
I was scheduled for Friday and Saturday. On Friday twenty people or so arrived; the indoor venue room that we were scheduled to use was not appropriate to use and I was asked to move to the tiny bar which was in fact too small ...
The conversation in our recent Death Cafe touched on subjects we hadn't visited before. For instance, objects: those things we leave behind us, or things we are left by those who have died. What do we do with them? How do we start the process of clearing 'stuff' we don't want to burden our nearest and dearest with? And private things, such as letters - precious to us now, but perhaps distressing to others when we are not there to put them in context. Our digital legacy: what will happen to our Facebook and other social media accounts? All interesting questions, which led to the concept of ...
Date: 30th May
Place: Hotel Alameda. ZARAUTZ (Basque Country)
Organized by: Zarautz, Herri Zaintzailea
It was the fifth time we offered the opportunity to join around a coffee to speak about death. 13 people participated in it, only two of them men.
The different points of view about the death were large and rich:
· Children, and their naturalness and innocence, and the overprotective attitude of adults around the death
· Within the couple
· The coldness of hospitals
· The value of a hug
· The role of Church, the soul, the spirit, the reincarnation, the acceptation
· How long we must support suffering?
· Suffering without sense
· The responsibility to transmit well your ...
Death Cafe in White River Junction, VT Write up
Posted by Cynthia Stadler on June 5, 2018, 9:15 a.m.
This month the Death Cafe was held the day after a screening of Amy Jenkin's moving documentary " Instructions on Parting" was screened ant the White River Junction Indy Film Fest. Amy attended our Cafe along with 12 others and we discussed our responses to the film along with a wide variety of death related topics. Lots of new faces have inspired me to re-start the Open door Death Cafes quarterly. Stay tuned for more information. Contact me if you would like to be added to my email list at cstadler@bayada.com
Vancouver Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Janet Rivers on June 4, 2018, 7:26 p.m.
We had 8 in attendance. The conversation veered to the symbolic meaning of death which was dominated by one participant making it difficult to facilatate. The evaluations reflected this.
Death Cafe Wien Write up
Posted by Alexandra Masetti on June 3, 2018, 9:46 a.m. 1 comment
"Der Tod, das muss ein Wiener sein…" heißt es in einem berühmten Lied von Georg Kreisler, welches gerne beim Heurigen gespielt wird. Bei unserem Death Café war diesmal eine Teilnehmerin, welche sich gerade mit dieser „Feststellung“ näher beschäftigt. Woher kommt diese Zuschreibung? Tatsächlich hat mich diese Frage auch noch etwas beschäftigt. Sollte jemand eine Antwort wissen – bitte bei mir melden!
Einmal mehr wurde von TeilnehmerInnen rückgemeldet, dass sie leichter und befreiter aus dem Death Café hinaus gehen. Diese Leichtigkeit macht sich auch im Alltag bemerkbar. In diesem Sinne wird es am 27. Juli ein kleines Jubiläums-Death Café geben – es ist ...
We approximate 24 people attended from the Casper. In general, feedback from attendees and the community was positive. A number of Casper residents later expressed the wish to attend another Cafe. The local paper featured a great article and pictures.
One of the positives noted were the diversity of ages and experiences of the attendees. It was a surpise to see people from opposite ends of the age spectrum, but it allowed for great interaction. (I personally enjoyed that the event was kid and baby friendly--seemingly to emphasize that death is part of the entire life continuum.)
Also,we found the salon format to be highly successful for ...
Death Cafe Powell River Write up
Posted by spdheather on May 30, 2018, 3:30 p.m.
Really great turn out for our very first Death Cafe. 12 people! Ready to host our 2nd one on June 19th and, those who attended want to bring more people. Discussion about why people came, green burial, experience with death, stories of how people have supported loved one dying, It was a wonderful evening with people asking when the next cafe was going to be. Lots of love, lots of experience and some people not saying anything, which is totally okay!
Looking forward to our next evening!
Death Cafe, Elephant & Castle Write up
Posted by katedamiral on May 29, 2018, 11:54 a.m.
Five people attended the joint Lambeth Independent Living and Carers' Partnership and Healthwatch Lambeth second death cafe.
This was a daytime session which attracted more older people and carers than our first, evening session.
The cafe was described as: Enlightening; Friendly; inspiring; Understanding; Free; Open; Relaxing; Positive and Life enhancing.
Topics covered included: advance care planning tools and the choices and rights we have around end of life care, the idea of a 'good death', and different religious perspectives on death.
Attendees were keen to see more death cafes held locally.
Death Cafe, West Norwood Write up
Posted by katedamiral on May 29, 2018, 11:44 a.m.
Eight people attended the first Lambeth Independent Living and Carers' Partnership/Healthwatch Lambeth death cafe hosted by Otter Cafe.
The session was described as interesting, comfortable, moving, essential, positive, determined, inspirational, encouraging, motivating, open, intense and a bit funny - though it wasn't clear whether this was meant as amusing or strange!
Everyone had positive feedback about the discussion which covered a broad range of topics including child mortality, grief in the public eye, people's lack of experience of funerals, the poet Michael Rosen's image of a 'bird of death' on his shoulder to describe how others saw him after being bereaved, opportunities - or lack of ...
Kingston Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Charlotte Haigh on May 25, 2018, 12:49 p.m.
A group of 12 gathered at The Willow on a sunny afternoon. Everyone brought lots of different thoughts about death, dying and grief, and we had a lively, rich conversation. There were some tears, I think due to the very comfortable, supportive nature of the group - and lots of laughter. Thanks to everyone who came and opened up x
Death Cafe Newtown Write up
Posted by Melissa Halliday on May 23, 2018, 12:23 a.m.
A wonderful gathering of souls who brought orange cakes, cheeses and yummy nibbles to accompany my bucket of chai.There was definitely a thirst to know more- it seems that there is never enough time to discuss all that people , once uncorked, want to speak about on this mighty topic but its always a great start!
Feed back ranged from 'easy for each of us to open our hearts and express our deepest feelings' to 'such an amazing diversity of life stages/experiences in the room and everyone was so open' to 'I liked that the structure was flexible' to 'I've always seen death as an event ...
Swindon Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Sue Holden on May 22, 2018, 9:05 a.m.
Not sure how, but we ended up talking about wills and why you need to make one. "Won't it do if I write it on a bit of paper?" Leglities and pitfalls that people had experienced. When should I write mine? How many people have written one? Isn't it just for old people?
A very interesting and thought provoking evening.
Next meeting is Tuesday 12th June 2018, 7.00pm
The room at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home on Lititz Pike was alive with simultaneous conversations from the people who came to the Death Cafe.
Two dozen people came together to share cake, coffee, tea and their thoughts about life, death and dying. Some knew one another, though most really matched the international Death Cafe's descriptive: the Death Cafe is a place where "people, often,strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death."
For just under two hours, that is exactly what happened.
We want to thank everyone who attended and the entire family of staff at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home ...
Birkenfeld Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Café Mortalitee on May 21, 2018, 6:40 a.m.
Gespräche über Sterben, Tod und Trauer.