Grief Week to be launched

GEELONG’S Hope Bereavement Care, also referred to as Hope, will launch Australia’s first National Grief Week on May 19.

Hope Bereavement Cares Melinda Hopper said the goal of the program was to improve awareness about grief, especially after a sudden, unexpected or traumatic loss.

“We hope to build capacity within our community and the public to better understand how to support those in the community who are grieving the loss of someone close and really trying to start conversations.”

National Grief Week will begin with the opening of an art exhibition at the Geelong Regional Library and Heritage Centre.

The exhibition will feature works from those who have lost somebody, reflecting grief and bereavement.

A string of events will run throughout the week following the official launch including a walk and talk session, film screening, drumming workshop and more.

Ms Hopper said the events will provide an opportunity for those who have been bereaved to share

their stories.

“By doing that, in the coming together of lots of people who are grieving, it helps to let those people know that they’re not alone.

“Through those conversations and improving that awareness, as a community we will learn how we can better support those who are bereaved, that will bring people together to learn more about grief and how we can better support each other.”

Hope Bereavement Care have a vision that ‘no-one should be alone in grief’, offering free information, support, groupwork and counselling to those grieving the loss of someone.

“Grief is a universal experience, we will all experience it at some point in our life if we haven’t already,” Ms Hopper said.

Hope Bereavement Care don’t receive any government funding and are supported entirely by the community, with the demand for their service increasing significantly over the past three years.

National Grief Week will run from May 19 until May 26.

To support the work of Hope Bereavement Care, head to bereavement.org.au/donate

For more information on the events taking place across the week, head to bereavement.org.au/events-and-news/grief-week