Learn how the Compassionate Schools model can foster better support for children and young people experiencing grief, illness and loss..
About the guests:
My guests Dr. Sally Paul and Bert Quintiens have developed a how-to guide for Compassionate Schools that we discuss in today’s conversation. Sally is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland where she teaches and researches in the areas of bereavement, death education, and public health approaches to palliative care. Bert is a researcher at the End-of-Life Care Research Group at Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, Belgium. He focuses on Compassionate Communities and Compassionate Cities and how initiatives like Compassionate Schools can help normalize conversations about death and caregiving. Get the Compassionate Schools How to Guide at the link below:
Compassionate Schools How-To Guide
In this episode:
- What is a Compassionate School
- Why is it important for schools to address the existence of death and grief for students and staff
- Children can cope with difficult situations when given age-appropriate information
- Why culture change can happen faster with a “bottom up” approach
- How each compassionate school is unique and meets the particular needs of a community
- Tips for introducing Compassionate Schools to your community
- Obstacles and resistance to this work
- Why it’s important to start with small goals like placing books on death and grief in the school library
- How to support teachers in having conversations with grieving children
Links mentioned in this episode:
Resources:
- The Resilience Project | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
- Bereavement Charter Mark for primary schools | Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
- Compassionate Schools: A How-to Guide – The European Learning Network, Compassionate Schools – University of Strathclyde (Guide available in multiple languages on this page)
Related Episodes:
- Compassionate Communities and End-of-Life Care with Elizabeth Johnson, Erin Collins and Qwynn Galloway-Salazar
- How to Help Children With Grief and Talk to Them About Death with Joe Primo
- Trauma, Grief and Resilience for Children in 2020 with Linda Goldman
Other Links:
- Hospice Wisdom with Barbara Karnes Resource Page
- 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying by Karen Wyatt MD
- Latest post on Substack: We Need Another Word for Grief
- What Really Matters Podcast: Roses for Tracey and Grief with Wings
- Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
- Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu
- Buy me a coffee
- Donate on Paypal
In this episode I’ll share some tips from a recent panel discussion I watched about Youth and Funerals. It’s important to teach adults how to talk to children about death and how to invite them to participate in mourning rituals when a loved one dies.
On July 24th I’ll be hosting Suzanne O’Brien RN for a free webinar titled: “End-of-Life Doula Training for Caregivers and Volunteers.” Join us if you’re interested in learning more about the work of end-of-life doulas to see if further training might be of interest to you. You’ll learn valuable skills for caring for those at the end of life no matter what type of work you do. Sign up at the link below:
In this episode I share an interview with Rachel Stephenson, an author, speaker and educator, who shares the story of her mother’s sudden death when she was 5 years old and the lasting impact it has had on her and the lives of her family. Rachel’s TEDx Talk on the same subject has attracted a lot of attention and points out why we need to address grief and loss with children.