Hold an event
demystifying death week
Since the first death awareness week back in 2013, each May, people across Scotland organise local events giving people the chance to talk about death, dying and bereavement.
All kinds of events take place, including workshops, death cafes, film nights, lunch groups, craft sessions, lectures, seminars, planning sessions and more. In recent years, many people have moved their events online.
Below are some resources that may come in handy if you’re considering holding an event for Demystifying Death Week.
Ideas and tips for event organisers
We have put together a series of guides to support people to design and hold Demystifying Death Week events:
- Designing your event
- Facilitation skills
- Event Ideas: templates and activities
- Hosting an online event: hints and tips
These are all available here: DD Week Guides for Event Organisers
Event resources
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Information leaflets: We have twelve different leaflets that provide information relating to death, dying and bereavement. Hard copies can be ordered, or you can download the leaflets directly from our website. A full list and further information is available here: Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief Information leaflets.
It Takes A Village exhibition: It Takes a Village is a powerful series of portraits and personal stories exploring the idea that as people’s health deteriorates, care and support comes in many guises. We have a limited number of copies of the exhibition available to lend out. If you would like to provide a venue to host the exhibition, please get in touch.
Escape Room: Undertaken by teams of 3-5 people, participants are challenged to unravel a super-hero themed mystery by finding clues and solving puzzles. Along the way teams will encounter family dynamics, future care planning, caring responsibilities and aging in the 21st century. We can send you everything you need to run Powers, Puzzles and Prescience, free of charge. More information is available here: Escape Room
Films: short films on the subjects of illness, death and bereavement can be useful as discussion prompts and educational tools: Films relating to death, dying, loss and care
Origami game: this is a mini-future care planning prompt.... in the form of a small origami game. More information about the game and how to download it is available here: Origami game
Conversation menu: The Dining with Death conversation menu is designed to act as an ice-breaker to give people inspiration and permission to talk about death-related matters. It can be used flexibly, across different types of events and different audiences.
Books: Information about holding a book club, alongside a list of books on the theme of death, dying and loss is available here: book club.
Death cafes: a death cafe is when “people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death”. More information about Death Cafes and how to organise them is available on the Death Cafe website.
Web listing and promotion
If you’re planning an event, please get in touch - we can add your listing on to our website, and promote it through our social media and newsletter.
