The Children’s Grief Project are hosting a Cafe Conversation on Monday 30th May 2016 from 7.30 to 9.30pm here at Westbourne, Ashbourne Avenue, South Circular Road, Limerick.
To book your free place please contact Maura or Ann on 061 224627 / 087 9851733 or email: info@childrensgriefproject.ie
There is huge wisdom, not only within each of us, but within our communities. By simply talking to one another in a safe environment, we can help tap into this wisdom, and share our thoughts our feelings, and our experiences with others, benefiting both them and us.
One of the best ‘methods’ in achieving this is through what is known as a Café Conversation.
What is a Café Conversation?
Put simply, a Café Conversation is where groups of 5-6 people sit down at tables, perhaps have a cup of tea, and a biscuit and talk to one another. The tables are covered with paper tablecloths allowing people to jot down ideas, doodle and draw how they are feeling or what they are thinking. A facilitator is used to offer topics for discussions in the groups.
What do Milford Compassionate Communities use Café Conversations for?
We use a Café Conversation to very gently help you talk about your feelings over death, dying, loss and care.
We abide by the “World Café” agreements of:
• Acceptance: Suspend judgment as best you can
• Listening: Respect one another
• Curiosity: Seek to understand rather than persuade
• Diversity: Invite and honour diversity of opinion
• Sincerity: Speak what has heart and meaning
• Brevity: Go for honesty and depth, but don’t go on and on
Why would I attend a Café Conversations?
Talking about death doesn’t bring it closer. Talking about death helps us plan our lives. If we can have conversations about our wants and needs when we are well, it makes it so much easier later in life not only for us but for our friends and familiy.
We can also learn how to talk to those who are going through difficult situations, either suffering themselves from a non curable illness, or caring for someone who is seriously ill, if we are able to talk with them we can really help them and through helping them can alleviate their stress, worries and loneliness.
At some point in our lives we will all experience a death. Death is a universal experience, around 28,000 people die in Ireland each year. For every death that takes place approximately 10 other people are affected. We would like to encourage people within our communities to learn to talk more openly together about their experiences, fears, or wants, in a safe environment, and understand how by talking we can help ourselves and others in lots of different ways.
Previous particpants of our Cafe Conversations have enjoyed the process and found it be beneficial to their lives. They are seen as having a positive effect on people, so please come along and see what we mean.
