Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief
To Absent Friends Festival 2020
We were thrilled to be a part of the ‘To Absent Friends Festival 2020’ which took place across Scotland from 1 – 7 November 2020. Appearing in public spaces, across social media, among friends, families and communities, and in people’s minds and hearts, the festival looked a little different this year due to the pandemic.
Here at The Corner, we have seen firsthand how young people’s feelings are not always addressed when it comes to death and grieving. We have previously addressed this issue with our ‘Elephant in the Room’ health campaign in 2015, and we continue to work in partnership with other organisations to offer support to young people.
However due to COVID-19 and the increase in associated Mental Health concerns during this unprecedented time, we were keen to be involved in the ‘To Absent Friends Festival 2020’ and be involved with this worthwhile project. To Absent Friends Festival gives people across Scotland a positive reason to remember, to tell stories, to celebrate and to reminisce about people we love who have died. To Absent Friends, a People’s Festival of Storytelling and Remembrance is an opportunity to revive lost traditions and create new ones.
With thanks to the festival’s support, we took inspiration from the Truacanta project; an initiative of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care and created our ‘feathered wings’ display with by two young artists from Dundee Young Carers. The aim was to create an effective window display which engaged young people and the general public.
Teenage years, although fun, can also prove to be an emotionally difficult time. If a young person loses someone it can be incredibly difficult for them, and they may feel like their world has come crashing down. We currently offer one to one support and counselling services to all young people (11-19 years and up to and including 25 years if vulnerable) and would like to remind any young people reading this, that we are always here to chat.
Read more about To Absent Friends Festival here
Dundee Safe Zone, in conjunction with Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership, have repurposed the Safe Zone Bus to be used to provide help and support to those most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are very proud to be one of the organisations involved in this initiative. Staff from a range of services are present on the bus, and can provide nursing care and welfare help on issues like substance misuse, money & benefits, issues with housing & homelessness, and also providing a supportive ear to those who feel isolated at this time
The bus is currently operational at the following locations:
Friday – Court Street (Stobswell) – 6pm – 8.30pm
Saturday, Farmfoods carpark, Flights Lane (Lochee) 6pm – 8.30pm
Sunday, South Road (Charleston, near the Kettledrum Bar) – 2pm – 4pm
Sunday, Menzieshill Community Centre – 4.30pm – 6.30pm
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our service you can do so simply by visiting the bus at the times / location listed above or get in touch with us for more information.
RE-FORMATION was a community art project celebrating and promoting young people’s ideas, skills and achievements as part of Scottish Government’s Year of Young People 2018.
It was a large-scale city wide partnership project, co-designed and delivered by young people from school and community groups. The project successfully transformed the pedestrian area of Reform Street, covering the cobbles with inspirational words and images to create a vibrant and uplifting atmosphere for the wider community. 10 community groups created individual designs that collectively carpeted the street.
The art installation was an ambitious and exciting display, demonstrating young people’s perspective of youth culture. The artwork included themes such as equality, diversity, ambition, inclusion and explored stereotypes and mental health.
The project culminated in a live event on Saturday 29th September and Sunday 30th September 2018 where participating groups transferred their designs onto the street as a temporary art installation.
Read more about RE-FORMATION in an article published by The Courier here
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