Death Cafe write-ups
We held our first Death Cafe at Westminster United Church in Thamesford. There were 15 attendees in total. We conducted it as one group, but any larger a group would have required breaking down into smaller groups, we have decided. It was an unqualified success. All of the participants indicated in their evaluations, that they felt comfortable and they would strongly recommend others attend. People were obviously engaged and respectful of each other's opinions and stories. There were differences of opinion expressed, particularly when the discussion of the value of cemetery visits arose. Most of the attendees indicated that they will probably come to the next Death ...
After having experimented with different locations since our start up in November 2013. We decided to try the other side of town. Our monthly meetings have usually been attended by the same group of people, averaging 3-5, with 2 or 3 new people once in a while.
We had meetings in several restaurants, which often turned out to be too noisy and disruptive. Then for over a year we met in my living room. Since March 2016 we're meeting in the Choir Room of a church on the side of town, where many senior communities are located. This led to several of our regular attendees opting out ...
Swindon Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Sue Holden on Oct. 20, 2016, 3:42 a.m.
The second Death Cafe in Swindon was held on October 11th at the Dojo Cafe.
Amongst subjects that were discussed was 'why is it that no-one tells you that you need to order twice as much food for a wake? Why do people eat so much? What is it about roadside displays of flowers? Who decides when they should be removed and who clears them up? Is there a call for a place that people can go to in order to find out the small practicalities of funerals, death and dying,like how much food to order?
The next Cafe is on November 8th at the Dojo Cafe ...
Thank you to all that came out --it was lovely to have both new and seasoned participants at the first Death Cafe of the fall. Someone summed it up as a "simple but rich experience" and I would agree. Other things that were shared in the closing included how people learned new information and had their own ideas affirmed, how we are so different but also alike, and the belief that we "only get to do death once, so want to do it well." We also started a dialogue on the value of story in the discussions, bringing up the ways story can both mask deeper emotions if ...
The Lewisham Death Cafe Write up
Posted by LewishamDeathCafe on Oct. 19, 2016, 9:44 a.m.
W meet on the first Saturday of each month between 2:00 and 4:00p.m at Coffee Costa in Rushey Green SE6.
There are several 'Costas' in the neighbourhood: Ours is opposite PEACOCKS, the Dress Shop in the High Street and a few doors down on the same side as the Eastern Queen
You will be most welcome to attend; but please contact me on:
francisgardom@aol.com.
NEWCOMERS ARE SPECIALLY WELCOME
Death Cafe Calgary Write up
Posted by Death Cafe Calgary on Oct. 16, 2016, 4:32 p.m.
An intimate opportunity for conversations about death and dying—along with coffee and pastries of course—were the order of the day for Calgary’s Death Café held October 16, 2016. Participants persevered through construction detours to make these important conversations happen. Thanks to all the participants and to Caffé Artigiano Westmount for contributing to a great event!
Tucson Death Cafe Write up
Posted by tucsondeathcafe on Oct. 13, 2016, 5:04 p.m.
Big Thanks to Jeff for hosting September’s café! And thanks to everyone who helped him out. Despite the big impact of hurricane Newton in the Tucson area it was a great café turnout. Some of the topics that came up were historical death rituals and funerary customs, green burials, and death with dignity. Letting you all know that the UA journalism student who visited the ...
Tucson Death Cafe Write up
Posted by tucsondeathcafe on Oct. 13, 2016, 5:01 p.m.
Our October 7th Café was energized, intriguing, and creative. We conversed about the rites, rituals, and reasons for popular events to honor our dead such as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and Tucson’s own All Souls Procession. We asked the question: “How does “celebration” enter into end-of-life remembrances?” We talked about memento mori – objects that can serve as reminders of our ...
Death Cafe in Seoul Write up
Posted by http://cafe.naver.com/healingdying on Oct. 9, 2016, 2:28 a.m.
on October 7th , hold second death cafe. 13 individuals gathered in the hyowon-healing center. a brief introduction on the history of death cafe was given and then each person give their name and to say what brought them their tonight.
We were fully booked, and even had a waiting list. There were 22 people present, including two other facilitators and myself.
‘It’s great to have time to ponder my thoughts and feelings about death and to listen to others’ experiences’
‘Thought provoking, reassuring, exciting, I’ll definitely come to another’
‘So wonderful to have the chance to start talking and listening about death - more of it!’
‘Reassuring in the universal diversity of experience’
‘Delightful group of people with a real willingness to share and openness to hear each other’
‘It has been excellent. I have really enjoyed the company, conversation and subject. It added to my knowledge ...
Our September Death Café saw us meeting in our new venue, Platform-62, a wonderfully eclectic café, and only relatively new itself, situated right in the hustle and bustle of up and coming Mascot.
Although you wouldn’t know that once you’d joined the Death Café, where discussion ranged from the board game Rebirth: The Tibetan game of liberation (available online from Amazon) to Sufi teaching stories of death and its timing in our lives, to the wonderfully entertaining Caitlin Doughty with her tales from the crematorium.
As we went around the group introducing ourselves, I was struck, as I always am, by the diversity of people who ...
Death Cafe Birmingham Write up
Posted by carrieweekes on Oct. 3, 2016, 10:19 a.m.
Fabulous response to this busy Death Cafe. Over to the participants for their comments!
“Best time ever talking about what we all want, think about death and dying”
“Relaxed environment”
“All good (you made me eat cake J)”
“Cheerful and focused”
“Very good to talk to interested and interesting people”
“Friendly atmosphere. Friendly people”
“Good to talk openly with others. Food for thought. Different opinions.”
“It felt very easy and relaxed- we were helped to feel comfortable re: the subject matter.”
“Thank you! ”
“…the laughter amongst the talk about death.”
“A wonderful evening thank you”
“We were able to talk freely about death and what happens after someone ...
On September 13th, 32 individuals gathered in the meeting room of the Wellington Library to talk about death. A brief introduction on the history of the Death Cafe was given and then each person was invited to give their name and to say a little about what brought them there tonight. Everyone spoke with such honesty and courage and stayed true to the intended nature of a death Cafe, keeping it an open and frank discussion. At the end of the evening, so many participants expressed their gratitude to us for organizing this event. Clearly, people want to talk about death. Our second Death Cafe is planned for ...
Albany WA Death Cafe Write up
Posted by Albany WA Death Cafe on Sept. 30, 2016, 7:38 p.m.
A particularly loud and lively gathering today!
We spent part of the session in a single group of about 12 and part split into two or three groups, so the conversation was wide-ranging, coming together as the numbers dwindled to share our experiences of the afternoon.
Several of us had seen the film 'Alive Inside' earlier in the week (about music and dementia) and we talked about how that might also relate to palliative and end-of-life care, which linked into discussions about the sorts of things that evoke special, pleasurable memories for us - particular songs/music, favourite perfumes, the aromas of foods our mothers or grandmothers cooked. We ...