Before we can help youth process their own bereavement and experiences with
the death of someone they know, we first have to reflect on our own relationship
to bereavement. Part of this is having a shared language with definitions of grief,
bereavement, memorialization, and other terms related to loss. Centered on reflection
through freewrites, drawing, and reading a true, teen-written story, this foundational
workshop asks us to think about what we might be grieving, how we each of us has
a unique process by which we learn from and carry our grief, and how bereavement
affects us. In taking a moment to examine ourselves, we can then begin the next step
of helping our youth.

Supporting youth who are grieving depends on our ability to understand not only the
emotions and behaviors that surface but also the connection between grief and social
and emotional learning (SEL). It is here that we begin to understand our role in helping
youth process loss and see it as an opportunity to build on kids’ SEL skills. Excerpts
from the stories of YC’s writers will give us unique insight into the impact of grief on our
youth and allow for rich discussion regarding what kinds of support kids are asking for
when it comes to the loss they’ve experienced.

Grief is inextricably linked to the ways in which we see ourselves and the world sees
us. As members of a society that operates on systemic oppression, we can’t ignore the
effects that this has on the way we experience loss culturally and racially. To make sure
the support we provide is culturally responsive, we will read a teen story through this
lens and discuss ways to address the many layers that come with grief, especially for
youth of marginalized communities.

The death of a loved one never affects just one person; grief often ripples out and it
takes a community of people to support someone who is grieving. In this workshop we’ll
read a true, teen-written story and explore the larger community involved in a person’s
death and our role as a member of that community. We’ll discuss statements and
phrases–both helpful and unhelpful–to a person who is bereaved. Participants will walk
away with a deeper sense of their role in supporting youth who are grieving, along with
concrete actions and next steps to take in talking with and helping those youth succeed.

Mass shootings, death at the hands of police, and mass displacement cannot help but
seep into our culture and trigger a type of mourning very different from our traditional
ideas of grief. During this workshop, we’ll read Youth Communication writer Kayla
Ruano-Lumpris’s “Not Your Lesson” about a teacher who shows a video of the killing
of Tamir Rice, which triggers and traumatizes Kayla. While reading this story, we’ll
discuss how witnessing public violence and death, particularly tied to race, impacts
youth. We’ll also identify ways to help youth and youth workers, who may feel helpless,
advocate for change.

Grief isn’t always tied to bereavement, or the death of a loved one. Loss of home,
autonomy, community, and many other losses impact our youth every day. The way
we process loss is both similar and different to bereavement, which YC’s writers
demonstrate in the several excerpts that we’ll read. This reading and the activities
during the session will give us ideas about how to support these students and how the
expansion of our understanding of loss is vital to supporting youth.