Grief looks different for everyone. Yet almost every kid who experiences grief says that loneliness is the very worst part. Kids who have experienced the death of a family member or friend feel that few people “get them” or have a clue what to say when it comes to supporting them.
That’s why we launched our latest project
That’s why we built and expanded our no-cost, week-long camps for grieving children, and that’s why we just launched GRIEF SUCKS. This digital content platform for teens helps them navigate their feelings while finding a place of easy belonging with other grieving teens. It normalizes the journey of grief by featuring celebrities (including Andy Grammer, Wes Moore, and Will Reeve) talking about grief, showcasing teen reviews of grief-related pop-culture content, and offering teens’ candid stories, irreverent videos, and more.
The need is real
Approximately six million kids in the U.S. alone will experience the death of a parent or sibling by the time they’re 18. Grieving youth are more likely to endure mental health challenges, poor academic performance, and negative long-term physical and financial outcomes than their non-grieving peers. Teens are hungry for content that connects them with others who are also grieving. Existing grief content geared toward them on platforms like YouTube or in school platforms are decidedly uncool, as we often hear from them.
Why this kind of support matters
We know that left unaddressed, childhood grief can undermine a child’s future. However, with the proper interventions and support around them, grief can lead to remarkable resilience and hope. GRIEF SUCKS is one of those interventions, and a fun and entertaining one at that.
GRIEF SUCKS is teen-approved
Our fantastic Youth Advisory Board, composed of grieving teens from across the U.S., have been involved every step of the way: They’ve provided feedback on GRIEF SUCKS since the prototype, and created much of the content itself. We’ve also found inspiration from conversations with thousands of grieving kids that are part of the Experience Camps extended network.
Some early reviews from teen campers:
- I’m so excited and it looks amazing!
- This is so amazing. Thank you for putting this together – I can’t wait to share it with people.
- Can I share it on Instagram?
- I think what is there are super good resources for people dealing with grief.
- Colors pop. Easy to navigate.
- I love the look of the website it’s very modern for such a challenging topic!
- It’s very engaging and easy to use!! Pleasing to the eye!!
- I loved that there were many resources about different things.
- Love how the website is formatted and the content. I also really like the celebrity snippets!
- I like the variety of things it covers. It gives suggestions for books, movies, and other forms of content, while also giving real life suggestions and having more meaningful articles and resources for deeper help with grief.
- It’s AMAZING.
So check out GRIEF SUCKS, and if you like what you see, we hope you’ll share it with the grieving teens in your life, along with educators, youth workers, and mental-health advocates you know. No one should feel like they’re alone in their grief, and now teens will always have a place to go.
