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C.A.N.D.Y Cafe

Creating Awareness and Normalising Death for Youth

C.A.N.D.Y. Café is a unique program designed to help young people and the adults in their lives navigate challenging questions about dying, death, and grief. Are these appropriate conversations for young people?
Absolutely! In fact, their mental health may depend on it.

When surveyed, 79.8% of parents stated they did not feel comfortable talking about dying- and death-related topics (including suicide) with their children.

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About 'C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe'

C.A.N.D.Y. Café, part of HHA’s Death Education Programming, is dedicated to transforming intergenerational communication about dying, death, loss, and grief. The program aims to foster open and honest conversations between young people and the significant adults in their lives, with a focus on:

Loving Son
  • Educating Adults: Equipping parents, guardians, and caregivers with the confidence and tools needed to discuss sensitive topics related to dying and death with young people.

  • Empowering Youth: Providing young people with a clearer understanding of dying, death, loss, and grief, and helping them to process their emotions and experiences.

  • Facilitating Communication: Adults and young people learn essential skills for engaging in meaningful conversations about dying, death, and grief. These skills are then applied in their everyday lives, fostering more effective intergenerational communication.

  • Normalizing Conversations: Encouraging a cultural shift towards accepting and openly discussing death as a natural part of life.

Conversations about death can be difficult and are often avoided. However, just as birth is a fundamental part of life, so too is death. Our program helps to bridge the communication gap between generations by fostering an atmosphere of trust and respect, where both adults and youth can confidently explore and address their feelings.

C.A.N.D.Y. Café is designed for participants of all ages, offering various ways to engage with the material. We prioritize creating a safe and inclusive space, guided by our core values of respect and diversity. Through this program, we hope to build a community where talking about dying and death becomes a natural, supported part of life’s journey.

Diversity Students
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Post-it written by a young C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe participants.

After a C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe for youth event, one of our young participants expressed how they felt:

"Relieved

small weight lifted off my shoulders from letting go

comfortable

still have a fear of death." 

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How 'C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe' Helps

The 'C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe' Program Team

Get Involved

Work with Us

Are you an HHA-trained Death Worker or Candidate interested in educating youth and their caregivers about death? Or do you already work with young people and want to engage with them about these important topics? Join our facilitation team! After completing our Certificate Program, you’ll have the opportunity to lead workshops and discussion sessions with both kids and their caregivers.

Contact us to discuss current professional opportunities with C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe.

Walk with Us

Join or support our "Crushing It For C.A.N.D.Y." team in this year's Moonlit Memory Walk fundraiser.

 

By joining or making a donation to our team, you will help ensure funds are available to provide critical resources to caregivers and communities, expand our programming for youth, and offer support to young people and the adults in their lives as they navigate the complexities of dying, death, and grief.

Support Us

Help make sure every young person feels comfortable talking about dying, death, and grief, and that the adults in their lives are able to meet them where they're at.

Together, let's create a world where discussions about death are normalized and navigated with confidence not fear.

Please donate today.

Is your organization interested in hosting our "How to Talk with Kids about Dying, Death & Grief" workshop or our "Real Talk" youth sessions for your clients, team or community? We’d love to collaborate!

 

Email C.A.N.D.Y. Cafe Program Manager, Terri, at terri@homehospiceassociation.com for more details.

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Our Partners

We are incredibly thankful for the meaningful collaboration and generous support of our partners!
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