Loss is a part of life.
But we don't talk about it
This means when a child or young person experiences a loss they often don't have the words to express themselves, and their friends don't know what to say. Well intentioned adults may also refrain from starting conversations out of fear of saying the wrong thing, leaving that child or young person feeling isolated and alone.
The Firefly Project aims to tackle the taboos that prevent us from talking about loss and open up the conversation by bringing proactive grief education to the classroom.
We are here to cultivate a more compassionate world where no child or young person feels alone in their grief.
Loneliness is a predictor of Complicated Grief
This is pervasive and can have a devastating lifelong impact on the outcomes of children and young people, affecting their well-being and mental health, as well as their attainment, attendance and behaviour at school.
127
Children and young people are bereaved of a parent every single day in the UK. (Childhood Bereavement Network).
41%
of young people within the youth justice system in one study experienced a bereavement. (Higgins, 2001)
25%
of under 20-year-olds that died by suicide experienced childhood bereavement. (NCISH, 2017)
1/3
of parentally bereaved children reach clinical levels of emotional difficulties within 2 years. (Worden, 1996)
Tackling the taboos that lead to loneliness
Why do we exist?
At Firefly we believe that knowledge is power and that by learning proactively about grief we can cultivate more compassionate classrooms and break the taboo. We want to help children, young people and those who support them to have confident and caring conversations about loss - so that no-one feels alone in their grief.
What do we do?
We empower children, young people and those who support them to understand about loss as a part of life, so that they can help themselves and others through grief. Our workshops focus on building understanding & awareness, social emotional skills, and 21st Century skills and have been co-designed with young people & educators.
How do we do it?
Our workshops are delivered by The Firefly team and supported by our movement of young collaborators called The Fireflies. We work in partnership with schools, colleges, universities, youth and community groups. Our work is trauma-informed and supported by clinical experts.
Find out more
Why grief education matters
Find out more about why we believe a proactive approach to grief education for children, young people and those supporting them is vital to support the well-being and life outcomes for children and young people that experience loss.
Our services
Find out more about our services for children, young people, educators and youth workers.
Book a workshop
We are offering free workshops for young people, trainee teachers, trainee youth workers and teachers. Learn more about how to book a free workshop in your setting.
Our team
We are a team of social innovators, designers, researchers, educators and young people, many of us with lived experience of loss who are passionate about making real change in the world. Meet the team here.