It is the third Thursday in November, which is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day. On today’s bonus episode, Nicole Barnes joins me from the Park Nicollet Foundation’s ‘Growing Through Grief’ program: www.parknicollet.com/growingthroughgrief

Nicole shares the history of how this program began, and the heart-breaking prevalence of how many children are affected by the loss of a parent or sibling before the age of 18, especially students in BIPOC populations or where household income is lower. Growing Through Grief partners with 16 school districts in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as western Wisconsin, to provide a no-cost resource that comes to children in their schools to provide support.

Grief is so difficult, no matter what the age – but dealing with it as a child, adolescent or teen makes the tough milestones of just growing up that much harder. Growing Through Grief provides a safe place for these children to feel heard, loved and less alone as they work through their pain.

If you’re not in the geographic region supported by Growing Through Grief, there are similar programs available throughout the country. Check for your local resource through the National Alliance for Children’s Grief: https://nacg.org/

References in today’s show:

This Side of the Grass, Episode 10 - Putting Pain Into Purpose, with Brian Muller

Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, by David Kessler

Additional resources from Nicole:

Coalition to Support Grieving Children

Brighter Days Family Grief Center

The Grief Club of Minnesota

If you have a topic or guest idea, I’d love to hear from you! To reach me, send me an email: [email protected], or find me at “This Side of the Grass” on Facebook OR Instagram!

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