Death Cafe actually full of life

Death. Honestly, who wants to have a coffee and discuss death?

Well, as it turned out, last spring nearly 100 people decided that they wanted to participate in a conversation about death and dying during the first series of Death Cafes in the Okanagan.

Started by a Swiss sociologist in 2004, Death Cafes are now held around the world and help people live life more fully by reminding them of the fact that they are going to die sometime.

At a Death Cafe, people, often strangers, gather to drink tea or coffee and discuss death. Death Cafes are an opportunity to have an honest and respectful conversation about death. They are a group-directed, confidential discussion of death with no expectations, no agendas and no judgments.

A Death Cafe is not a grief support or counselling session, it is a time of sharing and learning. There is no cost to attend, outside of beverage purchases at the venue.

Sessions will be led by end-of-life doulas Alison Moore and Claudette Bouchard, and shamanic practitioner Sue Berlie. The series kicks off April 8 at the Beanery Café in Summerland. It continues April 15 at L’Oven in West Kelowna. On April 22, it shifts to The Bistro at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna.

The series concludes April 29 at the Beach Avenue Café in Peachland. All cafes run 2-4 p.m.