Internet Celebrity Hunt — Grief Edition

Suggested Group(s): Middle/Teen

Purpose: To normalize the grief experience, let children/teens know that they are not alone in their grief. Possibly find role models who have had loss experiences, possibly similar losses, and who have transformed their grief.

Task/need: Living on the grief spiral, context of meaning

Activity Set up Ideas:

• Volunteers may want to search online for celebrities who have had loss experiences to facilitate the process. Provide children with online links to or hard copy pictures of famous people and ask the question, "What do you have in common with this person?" (Use Google for information and pictures.)

Materials:

• Pictures of famous person who has faced a loss as a child or as an adult.
• Background information about that person's loss.
• Computer hooked up to the internet.

Allow the children a few minutes to take their guesses before telling them that the common thread is loss. Share the story of the celebrity's loss if you know the details. Let this open the discussion as to how their experiences are similar and how the celebrity might have overcome their loss.

Have them think about celebrities in a variety of areas: sports, music, art, theater/television and, using the internet research the topics:

• Are any of their role models people who experienced a significant loss?
• Do any talk about ways they have "become who they are" or taken up certain causes because of their loss?
• Do any artists have songs, paintings, etc. that were inspired by a loss?

Questions you might ask:

• What can you understand about their grief based on their work, accomplishments, or works of art (songs, etc.)?
• Thinking of what they have done or who they have become, do you think that having experienced a loss had an impact on how they lived their life?

View or download the Celebrities document.