Bringing people together: Our Virtual Group Success
Over the years, we have seen the incredible impact of bringing children and their families together to support them through their bereavement journey. The importance of forming a group with others who are in a similar circumstance and realising they aren’t the only one who is feeling that way is huge.
““The sessions were brilliant and interesting. The resource packs for my children were a good add-on that we weren’t expecting. This made it better than just sitting looking at a computer screen.””
I think it is fair to say that this year has been challenging for everyone. As a charity, we still wanted to honour the importance of our group sessions. To do this, we carefully constructed a plan for running groups virtually to make them inclusive and enjoyable for everyone. We then began running groups over Zoom in November. The groups have run for both primary and secondary school children.
For the younger children, the sessions centre around a creative activity – this includes decorating a memory box, creating a memory jar, painting a lantern and building an emotional First Aid Kit. For the teenage group, we have a theme of discussion each week, such as Myths vs. Facts about bereavement and a Way-No-Way Game.
All of the children receive a Guy’s Gift Resource Pack which includes all the items they will need for participating in the activities and discussions. The Resource Pack also includes a Guy’s Gift Buddy Bear which we know can be a great comfort both during and after the sessions. After all, Buddy Bears are great listeners!
Before the sessions with the children begin, there is a Parents/Carers Introductory Session. This provides an opportunity for them to form a group and understand what we will be covering on the sessions. We see this as a great way to support the family too.
““It has been a challenging time which you have made easier by providing such a great service. Thank you for making such a big difference.””
Many children have formed friendships from the groups and continue to stay in touch. We also have our Guy’s Gift Annual Christmas Lantern Walk which allows for families to still be involved with Guy’s Gift in years to come and provides an opportunity to reconnect with peers from group sessions.
““The sessions were lovely. It was so good to have the introductory session. As my foster child has had major loss over the last 2 years, I was very worried about how he would cope. I needn’t have worried ....... Guy’s Gift were wonderful!””
As a member of the Guy’s Gift team, I have thoroughly enjoyed the sense of “community” from being part of the Virtual Groups. I have been able to observe the positive impact of the groups on the children’s confidence and wellbeing. We are looking forward to continuing our support as we learn and adapt our service for children and their families. Who knows, maybe we will still find a lot of value from continuing remote support as well as seeing everyone in-person again?!
““From start to finish you have been really supportive. The first call for the parents/carers was really quite comforting to know that how we are doing as a family isn’t silly or ‘out of the ordinary’. From there the space on groups came round really quickly and the children both looked forward to the sessions.””
