Creating community and connection: Grieving Together Grief Retreat

The annual retreat intends to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to gain greater knowledge and understanding of grief and how to process it. The weekend consisted of dedicated time in workshops, as well as opportunities to interact, share, and network with fellow participants.

The annual retreat intends to bring together people from diverse backgrounds and experiences to gain greater knowledge and understanding of grief and how to process it. The weekend consisted of dedicated time in workshops, as well as opportunities to interact, share, and network with fellow participants.

Grief and grieving can be an isolating experience, but throughout the retreat individuals had the chance to meet others in similar and different positions to themselves. Conversing and holding space for others allowed participants to see new perspectives by coming together through a common experience of grief. This was a new experience for SMCT, as previously many of the sessions offered by the Community Care and Wellbeing program have been targeted at individuals with specific forms of grief.

Connections blossomed – creating a network of people, shared experiences and ideas for the future. Across the retreat many found themselves forging new relationships, including strong connections with Jillian West. Jillian assisted to establish a connection with land, an idea heightened through additional programs on offer such as community planting. Bulbs were planted in garden beds outside of Café Vita et flores, and attendees dedicated a flower to a loved one.

For many, visiting a cemetery can be challenging as it can be a place symbolic of loss and pain. For others, it is a place of love and dedication to a relationship that has transformed.

Committing to and attending an event about grief is a courageous act itself, especially when held at a cemetery. Some attendees began the retreat with hesitancy about the location, yet across the weekend this understanding was transformed through connection to place and people. Many made a point of embracing their initial discomfort and concerns, allowing the beautiful surroundings and nature of Springvale to continue to evolve for them into a peaceful place to reflect on and experience their grief.

Attendees also had the opportunity to transform their relationship with grief. Sessions held across the retreat gave people the toolkit to greater understand their own grief, as well as support mechanisms to help others. While previously grief may have been seen to be something to overcome by themselves, the theme of the retreat -- Grieving Together – highlighted the importance of community and of reaching out when support is needed.

SMCT is incredibly proud of the work involved in creating a space for collaboration and fostering connections between people and organisations all with a shared purpose; to provide support for the community.