Long wait lists for bereavement support groups in our local community are just one indication of the need for increased support for those who are actively grieving. Our community assessment interviews also highlighted a need for grief support for caring professionals and/or volunteers (those who work with vulnerable members of the community.) We believe that grief can be approached in proactive way to help prevent burnout and depression for those who work in caring professions, as well as helping to demystify the process of grief and how it may affect individuals, groups and communities as they experience varying forms of loss.

More than 1200 people have already been impacted by ORA Loss & Living Program initiatives, including the “Before I Die/Avant de mourir” community art installation which has travelled around the city to private and public locations in the last two years.

We offer a selection of customized grief workshops to individuals, groups and community organizations and as well as peer support groups and one-on-one support. Many of the workshops use innovative ways of expressing grief by incorporating music, art and/or other creative expressions of loss and grief.

Our grief workshops are customized to the needs of the individual, group or organization, with a particular focus on staff or volunteers in caring professions who support vulnerable members of our community who are grieving through various types of loss, not exclusively bereavement.
This initiative works in partnership with other community grief support organizations in a complementary fashion in order to fill niches that are not currently being addressed. ORA Loss & Living Program can also play a supportive role as local communities of faith struggle with transition, transformation and the grief and loss associated with closure/mergers.

We hope that ORA’s range of partnerships, workshop offerings and growing library of grief resources will strengthen community bonds and decrease the sense of isolation for individuals living through grief and loss.

ORA Loss & Living Program offers a safe space for conversations about loss and grief, with the objective of reminding people from all walks of life, all genders, races and ages, that they are not alone and that there is hope for life beyond grief. The workshops also reinforce and honour the inherent wisdom and experience that each participant brings to the circle.

ORA Loss & Living Program is open to all who wish to attend, of any faith background, economic situation, gender, sexuality, culture, age, or any other factor. Our financial policy is to subsidize or sponsor those who cannot pay the full cost of workshop registrations. Our ecological policies include the use of donated art materials and environment-friendly resources wherever possible. The language of workshops is inclusive, the activities are designed to engage all participants to the level at which they are comfortable and to offer ways of finding hope in a time of darkness, reminding all that they do not face their struggles alone.

We prepare volunteers and facilitators with leadership training, and operate under the guidelines of the United Church of Canada regarding ethical boundaries and policies that respect and honour the rights and needs of all.

“In life, in death, in life beyond death, we are not alone.”

We hope that the overall impact will be one of increased hope and a sense of welcome and belonging.

• INDIVIDUALS experiencing loss and/or supporting others experiencing loss
• GROUPS experiencing particular types of loss (eg. seniors experiencing losses related to health, mobility, independence, identity, financial security, downsizing, etc.)
• STAFF and/or VOLUNTEERS of caring organizations who experience loss regularly through their work and/or support clients experiencing loss

NOTE: An extensive interview and assessment exercise with community organizations was carried out early in the process of creating ORA Loss & Living Program. A real need for the type of services and resources offered by ORA was expressed, particularly around other types of loss in addition to bereavement, and with respect to volunteers and professionals who support vulnerable members of the population who are dealing with loss and grief themselves. Specifically, the additional needs and request for support listed by organizations interviewed included the following:

• Need to educate staff and volunteers on grief theory and practice, how to support grieving individuals
• Need to support staff throughout their own grieving process
• Need to raise awareness of issues surrounding grief and loss
• Need to break down stigma related to grief and loss
• Need to develop further resources to support populations across the life span with differing abilities
• Need to develop specific groups and support systems
• Need for more comprehensive and clear resource guide
• Need to offer support to caregivers