Jeremiah’s Journey is a Plymouth-based charity which started in 1996 that provides free support to children, young people and their parents/carers who have or are about to experience the death of someone special.
Currently, they directly support over 700 grieving children each year, and there are circa 2000 wider beneficiaries from the work they do. The demand on the charity has grown steadily over the last five years and now, nearly half of the children and families that they support are bereaved through sudden and often traumatic causes of death, like suicide and road traffic accidents.
Nearly a third of the children that they support, are bereaved through long term illnesses, such as cancer. Sadly, almost 50% of those in their care have lost or are facing the loss of a parent.
How the Charity supports Young people
Just as the way that children and young people express their feelings about the death or terminal illness of a significant person is different and unique to them, so will their coping strategies.
One of the key aspects of the approach is to ask children and young people directly about what works best for them. This could include talking, art, music or sport. The organization believes that by taking the time to understand what individuals want or need, they can provide targeted and effective support.
The organisation is keen to ensure that children and young people have a trusted person to talk to when they are feeling upset. This could be someone that they already know or a particular friend that they feel comfortable with. The organization is asking individuals to think about how they will let their chosen person know that they need some time with them and whether there are certain times when that person is available.
Another key aspect of the charity's approach is to provide a safe space for children and young people to go to when they need some quiet time. This could include a 'time out' card or a bean bag in their 'upset' colour. They are encouraging children and young people to think about how they will let others know that they need some quiet time.
The charity is committed to providing support and assistance to children and young people in need, recognizing that even as grown-ups, we don't have all the answers.
Nick Ball the new Leader of Devonshire’s Freemasons said:
'I've known about the great work and support offered by Jeremiah's Journey for many years.
When I learnt of the scale of the challenges they face in supporting an ever larger number of Children we had to help in some way and a donation of £15,000 will, I hope provide some essential funding to continue their fantastic work.'
Tanya Woodland CEO of the Charity added:
'Jeremiah's Journey provides free support to children, young people and their families who have or are about to experience the death of someone special. The charity directly supports approximately 720 grieving children each year with wider beneficiary numbers of circa 2,000. Their work focuses on grieving children and young people, aiming to help them through challenging and uncertain times, with the belief that no child should be alone in their grief.
The charity is overwhelmed by the grant from the Masonic Charitable Foundation and the Freemasons from the Province of Devonshire, this wonderful sum of £15,000 (over 3 years) is amazing! The grant will cover the cost of over 300 therapeutic hours for one of our highly trained bereavement team to invest in the local children who need our help.'
