Death Cafe Practitioners Page
I am looking into hosting an on line Death Cafe in Ontario and wondering about the zoom link and arranging.
any tips?
I have just taken over a Funeral Home in Melbourne Australia, and would love to host a meeting. Any tips on hosting a first meeting?
A matter borne of our pandemic-induced Zoom era has prompted disdain among a few of us who host death cafes. It is what I’ve dubbed the “black box syndrome.” That is, it has become increasingly common for individuals to join the discussions groups in facial absentia, with the video function turned off, causing us to see only a dark box with a name or a static image of some sort.
For some, this practice feels like an affront to the intimacy of a conversation that engenders expressions of a personal and sometimes emotive nature. It poses a sense of separation rather than connection. If one of “the boxes” utters a remark, the person behind it seems more remote.
What does it mean to be part of an online death cafe? Is someone whose face cannot be seen a full-fledged participant? Might it be considered borderline voyeurism when someone plugs in merely as a listener (though maybe an occasional commenter) with the video function turned off?
Zoom burnout has become a reality for many online-saturated, busy people who aim to multi-task during a session while catching the gist of what’s going on. And there are times when it is necessary to take a visual leave of absence for a few moments.
It has reached a point, though, where there are sometimes fewer animated attendees at gatherings (of various sorts) than static, lifeless images or boxes.
Death cafe discussions offer opportunities for intimate connections with one another. Visual absence may diminish the sense of communion that this type of milieu generates. Seeing nuances of expression enables us to hone in on interpretative perceptions beyond spoken words. And probably feelings for someone are more reachable.
On the other hand, someone suggested that certain individuals may feel more comfortable behind this curtain of separation. Maybe they wouldn’t attend at all if obligated to be in fully visible presence.
In the context of death cafe discussions, how do you feel about this side effect of our modern manner of communicating electronically?
Any one have resources for topic of death that we can share at our first death cafe?
Good evening all,
I have been approached about starting a new Death Cafe in the Kansas City area. A locsl brewery and I are discussing starting a new option. Kansas City had one in the past and the person moved away is what I heard.
Talking about death is not difficult for me. I am a registered nurse with many years of experience in critical care, emergenc,hospice, palliative care and current coordinate a multi-disciplinary clinic for ALS patients and have my own private End of Life Doula busines. My master's is in End of Lfe Care.
Can anyone give me their thoughts on starting and running a death cafe and keeping it interesting? I am excited in beginning this journey.
Who knows we might have our own beer. Even though I am not a beer guy. Look forward to see the possibilities.
Take Gentle Care,
Brian
You can do it here.
How does it work?
You can take part in this art project in two different ways:
1) Send me a private audio message, and the composer and sound artist Andrea Rocca (@babymicrobesound @mechanical.eyelid) will use all those messages to compose 'Yet to say Requiem'', an immersive soundscape that will be part of the COVIJO-99 project.
2) If you prefer, you can send a written message, and other people will perform it and record it for you.
All the messages ...
Hi there
Would it be possible for cafe write ups to be automatically linked from the related event listing please?
I know there's a link to the listing from the write up, but a link the other way would be really helpful too, particularly for people browsing past events in their area.
Thanks
Hi,
I'm currently research peoples views on the sustainability of funeral options in the UK and would value an opportunity to talk to people who are thinking and talking about funerals and death.
Specifically I'm looking to talk to people who are over sixty and live on the UK.
If anyone is willing to chat please let me know.
Kind regards
Sam
I would like to use an easy and anonymous feedback form to be completed by our Cafe Participants. How toi and what you use please,
Jim Kirkpatrick jimmyk91@ix.netcom.com
How to collect anonymous feedback from attendees
Posted by JimKirkpatrick on Sept. 23, 2021, 7:28 a.m.
I am new to cohosting Death Cafe. I want feedback from participants. Want your methods for collecting such feedback. Help Please
Jim Kirkpatrick
510 219 2550
jimmyk91@ix.netcom.com
Hello All.
We have held our first DC and would like to start preparing for the next. Can we just edit the existing information under the "View your Public Profile" tab to announce new date and time? We would also like to alternate being host and facilitator. How can we do this when both of us have unique login details?
Grateful for any pointers.
Sarah Hillcoat-Nalletamby, Swansea UK
Hi, I am planning to run my fisrt Death Cafe and wondering if anyone experiences that conversation was stuck at one point. I am worried there will be uncomfortable silence. Any tips on how to avoid it and bring the discussion back, any specific topics, leading questions? I am aware the guide mentioned- no agenda but 3-4 questiong that might push the conversation, would be useful. Am I correct?
Many thanks!
Natalia
Hi there,
I've recently begun preparations to start a monthly Death Cafe in my area. However, it's my understanding that a few years ago someone has already started a Death Cafe. It's been several years since the last cafe was held and the Facebook page seems to be inactive since 2017/2018. I've made attempts to locate the original hosts, but I've been unsuccessful - I just don't want to step on any toes or create animosity, you know?
Is it acceptable for me to start a cafe, or should I make further attempts to contact the original hosts?
If anyone has any advice or tips regarding this I would be super grateful!
Many thanks,
Anna
North East London Death Cafe hosted by Debbie Young & Alberta Gutteridge
Posted by Debbie & Alberta on May 21, 2021, 8:08 a.m.
Swedish death cleaning. Just one of the topics that came out of my first virtual Death Café. Well never mind the virtual, my first Death Café. It was planned to be a North East London gathering hosted by myself and Debbie, who is Death Café-experienced, but ended up being a gloriously global affair with participants from yes, north-east London, but also Scotland, Ireland and Canada. Back to the death cleaning or death decluttering. The idea behind it is to release the burden of your things from the loved ones you leave behind. ‘It’s a loving thing to do for the people you care about.’ There was some general agreement about this and the story of how the process of down-sizing and letting go of things that belonged to her past and her husband allowed a widow to move on and enjoy her final years. A painful process though, it was admitted. There’s no avoiding that then. Death and grieving is sad and difficult and there’s no getting round it. Another story was shared of how having to deal with the possessions and house left by their parents following their death provided a practical form for grieving. The learning, if there’s any need for it? There is no perfect way to prepare for death, either our own death, or for losing those who we love, but getting together and talking in a safe space about death and dying can be something that helps make sense of it.
The conversation across two groups in their private zoom spaces included talking about fears of dying, sharing experience of family bereavement and how that influenced desires to make things easier for their children, curiosity about talking about death and dying, acknowledging the taboo and facing it full on. Following Death Café guidance there was no agenda or direction so the flow of words went in all sorts of directions from the idea of clearing out rooms and things to funerals with drag queens and disco music. Perhaps the most unexpected aspect of this zigzag of words and sharing was how intimate, warm and lovely it was. Friends have asked, how it was, my first Death Café as host, my first Death Cafe. Lovely, I said. And it was. Life-affirming would be another description.
Hi, we are The Rewikd Project. A grass roots not for profit and we rewild people, not landscapes.
We want to run a Death Cafe as part of our health and wellbeing programme.
We can run for free or donation, like all our other groups. and will advertise on our Facebook group and newsletter.
We are based in the forestnof Dean, we might start off on zoomnans then run from our craft centre in evening time.
Oh also we are doing outreach work at festivals this year and would like to run sessions.
Can you let me know if there is any problem with this?
Thanks
Emma