Hello beautiful YACCers,
We often say that joining the YACC community is a catch 22. It allows you to connect with incredible people who totally get where you’re coming from. Through the worst of times, you develop the best of friendships. But, it also means you will lose some of those friends along the way. I have been doing this work for over 20 years and the death of a young adult I had the privilege to meet, know and love, is by far the hardest part of the job.
Over the years, our community has experienced the loss of many incredible people. Each person mattered deeply, and we know how meaningful it can be to pause and remember them.
As our community has grown (especially in online spaces) we’ve been reflecting on how we can continue to honour those who died in a way that is both meaningful and sustainable for our small team.
What’s changing
If you have been part of the YACC community for a while now, you would have received an email with the subject line: “Open when you have time and privacy…” This individual memorial message was our way of informing those who may have shared space with someone who died while at a longer in-person event. While these have been very important, we’ve found that this approach is no longer something we can offer consistently or sustain for everyone in our growing in person and online community.
Honouring and remembering YACCers who die continues to be crucial to us. That is why, moving forward, we will be shifting to a more collective approach to remembrance.
Honouring our community together
Beginning this April, we will:
- announce dates for a quarterly online YACC gathering inspired by the Death Café model, where we will honour and remember community members who we learn have died
- create space within these gatherings for reflection, sharing, and ritual
- continue to offer dedicated bereavement sessions when a loss occurs within an active support group
There could still be moments where we respond differently, particularly in exceptional circumstances, but our intention is to move toward a more community-held way of remembering.
We also recognize that grief doesn’t follow a schedule. Throughout April, we’ll hold our annual remembrance programming, YACC Remembers, on April 25 including a writing group and opportunities to share reflections within the community.
This shift is rooted in care — for those we’ve lost, and for all of us who carry their memory forward.
Thank you for being part of a community that continues to show up with such compassion for one another.
With love and gratitude,
Karine
