Collective/Community Grief

Nicole – Stigma Surrounding Drug Use

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses how the stigma around drug use has an impact on how people feel able to grieve when those in their community are lost.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / Supporting Others / Video

Kristal – Drug Poisoning During Pandemic Stigma

April 23, 2023

Kristal discusses how the pandemic has created additional stigma surrounding those who use drugs. She dissuses how it seems like some losses are treated as more deserving of being mourned than others. Many people have had to grieve privately instead of publically within a community. She touches on the state of the public health system during the pandemic.

Collective/Community Grief / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Christian – Grieving the whole person

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about how we choose remember people when there has been a loss to drug poisoning

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Beauty found at the edges: a portrait of community support

March 1, 2023

I’d sent a text saying “Hello friends, I’m putting out a call for flowers. I went to public school with Kory, the young man who died in downtown Cobourg this week, and though I hadn’t seen him in recent years, I feel the loss of him on a community level, as I imagine you do, too. Some of Kory’s people are gathering tonight in vigil at the bank where he died, and I’m gathering flowers from those of us who have gardens to share with this grieving community. Do you have some blooms in your garden that you’d be willing to share?”

Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others

Ripples of Grief: Supporting Ourselves, Others, and our Communities After a Death

June 21, 2023

By Jessica Milette, MSW, RSW When death knocks on the door of a community, each of us are impacted. Sometimes a death will touch many lives across a community, whether people knew the deceased personally or not. We may grieve the death of a family member, friend, or acquaintance, a well-known community member, or someone…

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Supporting Others

Calls to Care, Calls to Action: Bearing Witness to Global Catastrophic Loss of Life and Traumatic Events

December 6, 2023

We bear witness to stories of mass loss of lives, stories of families in Gaza being forced from their land, loss of culture and traditions, and countless other ways systems of colonization and oppression can contribute to other non-death losses those who are directly affected currently and have historically faced. As we discussed in a previous article, we can also experience collective grief following natural disasters, accidents, international conflict, and acts of violence that have resulted in catastrophic loss of lives.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief

Nicole – Power of Speaking About Lost Ones

March 25, 2023

Nicole discusses the importance of sharing memories of those lost to drug poisoning and speaking their names.

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death of A Loved One / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others / Video

Keith – “Disenfranchised Grief”

December 10, 2018

Keith describes disenfranchised grief.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Collective/Community Grief / Video

Community Grief Toolkit [Downloadable!]

December 23, 2023

This toolkit also reflects on how we support grief in the community. The tools to come together and honour our collective experiences and how to build the resources for further support.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / I Am A Griever / I Am A Professional / I Am A Supporter / Supporting Others / Toolkits

Collective Grief

May 22, 2022

When the death of a person affects many members in a community, city, country, or across the world, people will experience collective grief.

These are some things that can help people through the experience of collective grief across a community.

Bereavement Professionals' Insights / Blog Post / Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Death During Service / Death of a Child / Death of a Grandparent / Death of A Loved One / Death of a Parent / Death of a Partner / Death of a Sibling / Grief and Trauma / In Memoriam / Suicide / Supporting Others

Christian – Language around those pushed to the margins

April 23, 2023

Christian talks about how people who are pushed to the margins are not discussed as part of our community and how we need to include them. As a community how do we care for our neighbours and how do we mourn the loss of our neighbours

Collective/Community Grief / Death and Grief During a Pandemic / Death By Overdose / Drug Poisoning and the Pandemic / I Am A Professional / Video

Antoinetta – Grieving in community with others

January 26, 2023

Antoinetta discusses how grief camp made her feel so much more happy and how she found support and that she did not feel so alone

Collective/Community Grief / Death of a Parent / Video