YNN workshops
What is the purpose of our workshops?
Grief as a student is an extremely isolating experience. Often, their needs will be overlooked or misunderstood by family members and educational institutions. Very rarely will they have friends or peers who can relate to what they are going through.
Without the space and encouragement to speak openly and honestly about their feelings, bereaved young adults face continuing pressure to move on with their lives, in denial of the significant changes that have occurred and without confronting the full extent of their grief. This can have detrimental consequences later on in life, as they find themselves facing challenges such as, a loss of purpose and confidence, anxiety and/or depression, a loss of identity and a sense of belonging and post traumatic stress syndrome.
Our workshops provide bereaved young adults with a safe outlet for their grief; a space where they feel encouraged and inspired to speak openly about their personal experiences, amongst individuals who truly understand what they are going through.
What format do our workshops take?
Our bereavement workshops take place at least once every term, at a fixed location within the school or university and last between 60 and 90 minutes.
The first half of the workshop will start with a short introduction by the volunteer, sharing his or her personal experience of loss and grief. The volunteer will then invite the participants to briefly introduce themselves and if they wish, share their own experience with the group. The second half of the workshop will be an interactive discussions, lead and shaped by the volunteer, who will have a number of pre-prepared discussion points and creative exercises to hand.
Before commencing the first support group, we will ensure that the volunteer is allocated a point of contact at the school or university (usually a resident counsellor or pastoral care officer) in case any issues arise, or if they are are concerned about the wellbeing of a particular participant.
Who are our volunteers?
Our volunteers are individuals who have experienced bereavement as a young adult and are passionate about sharing their personal experiences of grief, as well as empowering others to speak openly about theirs. Every volunteer will receive comprehensive training in advance of their first session and annual follow up training sessions.
Our partners
In February 2019, the London Academy of Excellence in Stratford invited our founder to participate in the school’s first mental health conference for students, called Mindspace. We led a series of workshops about young adult bereavement for students aged 16 and above. Due to the event’s success and the school’s recognition of the need to provide ongoing grief support for their students, we have been invited to provide further young adult bereavement workshops at the LAE.
We are currently speaking to a number universities and schools in London to discuss further partnerships.