Introductory Essay
Introduction
Loss is a heavy subject, but one that has touched most of our lives, either by knowing someone who has experienced a loss, or having someone die in your own life. Grief is the result of losing such an important aspect of everyday. It is natural, but sometimes the effect isn't a positive release of emotions (lynn,"Childhood Grief:The Untold Burden."). Childhood bereavement is actually very common .One out of every seven children will lose a parent. At such a young age, it may be hard to deal with such a loss(Harris, Jim. "Children And Grief."). Children at a young age may not understand death or may not have the strength yet to go through such a loss, but it happens anyway. To deal with it, they rely on the others. They don’t know how to handle it and look to their family to understand.
I actually experienced a loss at a young age. My father died when I was seven. It was confusing, and painful. I went to counseling, but that didn't really make a huge impact on me. Later on I found an organization called Kate’s Club. It is for children who have lost a loved one, but it isn't counseling. Instead it is something very unique. It connects children with other kids who have gone through a loss. This is special, because when a death occurs, it is a very isolating experience. This gives you a way out of that feeling. It lets you grieve with someone, and begin your grief journey. They regularly hold events as well within the community. One in particular is the memory walk in Atlanta. It is a fundraiser, but it also honors those lost to us.
My product would be separated into two parts. the first part being the Leadership group that focused on Grief Awareness. Their Goals included learning about Bereavement, and also understanding how to help others who have experienced a loss. They met at different times with me, but they all received the same material. Eventually, The memory walk arrived. The plan was for Everyone to attend. This was my first obstacle as four members had to cancel for personal issues. We still attended, and i considered it a success. The second aspect was the broader picture. This Included the speech i gave at the memory walk, but also the multiple interview i did for NBC and The CW. These opportunities allowed me to get the message of Grief awareness to more people. not just Woodstock, but Georgia. It touched a lot of lives, and I got positive feedback.
My topic was Bereavement, and how it affects children's development. This is a common case that a grief counselor would deal with, and is directly related to the career. I am not planning on being a counselor after this project, but I would love to still work with Kate's Club one day.
I thoroughly enjoyed this project, and all that it entailed. It taught me about what life means to some people and how valuable a little friendship and honesty could be. I plan to internship with Kate's Club in the Fall, as I will be attending Georgia State University.