Grief Symposium highlights Yazidi resilience and community healing

Media coverage: CBC News: Photo exhibit chronicles resilience of Yazidi genocide survivors rebuilding life in London, Ont.

 Media coverage: The Catholic Register: Ten years after ISIS, Yazidis seek healing

Grief is frequently oversimplified and reduced to a mental health concern, often minimized by popular discourse. The Symposium on Grief Literacy, held on September 19, 2024, in the Joanne and Peter Kenny Theatre, addressed this gap by fostering what keynote speaker Dr. Lauren Breen termed “compassionate communities.”

This day of learning and reflection aimed to enhance participants' understanding of grief, offering tools and insights to help them cultivate a more informed and empathetic approach to grief and loss. The symposium fostered a space for enriched public discourse, informed by research and process, elevating attendees’ knowledge, which, in turn, help their careers, workplaces, and families. 

“Death, dying, grief, and loss are issues that affect every individual at some time in their lives, yet there is great stigma and misunderstanding surrounding these topics. This limits our ability to cope and to adequately support others,” says Dr. Lisa McLean, Assistant Professor of Thanatology and applicant for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grant that made the event possible.

Dr. Breen, who helped develop the concept of grief literacy, describes it as “the values, knowledge, and skills needed to adequately support those grieving a variety of forms of loss, from death-related loss to non-death losses associated with the effects of social injustice and the loss of health and wellbeing.”

The symposium will feature Dr. Breen alongside 15 other experts sharing their knowledge on topics such how young people deal with death and loss; the role activism plays in healing; how a social justice lens might inform how we analyze the diverse experiences of loss, grief, and resiliency; and how community organizations support vulnerable groups, including refugees and unhoused populations, with the effects of grief and loss.

“There is a tremendous benefit for individuals from various life stages, professions, and cultures to share knowledge, information, and resources in ways that build confidence and efficacy in building compassionate grief-literate workplaces, schools, health care systems, and communities,” says Dr. McLean.

The event included a round-table discussion, interactive exhibits, and informational tables managed by student volunteers and alumni, providing opportunities for attendees to reflect on their own experiences with grief and resilience.

The event also included a photovoice exhibit, a participatory arts-based research project designed to:

• Elevate the Voices and Perspectives of Yazidi Women: Showcase their personal stories and experiences to foster greater awareness and empathy.
• Provide Historical Context and Accounts of Atrocities: Offer insight into Yazidis' displacement from Northern Iraq through the sharing of Yazidis women's photography and narratives of their experiences of violence and loss. 
• Lend Complexity to Understanding Vulnerability, Victimhood Survival, and Loss: Enhance understanding of these intertwined experiences and their broader implications.
• Support the Development of Grief Literacy: Advocate for compassionate communities equipped to respond to diverse experiences of loss.

This project, led by Dr. McLean and Dr. Carrie Traher, Associate Professor of Thanatology, in collaboration with the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre, highlighted the unique forms of loss experienced by refugees and the resilience of Yazidis as they rebuild their lives in Canada.

The symposium was made possible by a $12, 371 SSHRC Connection Grant that Dr. McLean, and Dr. Adrienne Sauder, Lecturer of Thanatology, and Dr. Traher (co-applicants), received for "Exploring Grief, Loss, and Resiliency in Our Community and on Campus: A Grief Literacy Symposium and Photovoice Exhibit,” which provided funding for student research assistants, catering, materials for the photo exhibit, and other logistical expenses. 

The event was organized by the Grief and Loss Research Lab (also known as the Loss Lab) and represented a collaborative effort between King's, the Department of Thanatology, and the South London Neighbourhood Resource Centre.