Oct 19, 2017
Recognize the Needs of Grieving Children.
November 16th is National Children’s Grief Awareness Day – a day to recognize the needs of children who are grieving.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 5% of children will experience the death of a loved one by the time they are 18. That means that of the 499,416 children living in New Mexico this year, there will be 24,971 kids who will be grieving the death of a loved one.
The Children's Grief Center (CGC)
CGC is the only organization in New Mexico providing grief support to families statewide. It is their mission to provide a safe and supportive environment where children, teens and young adults, ages 5-25, and their families can share feelings and experiences while grieving the death of a loved one.
All of their services are free for families. Supporting grieving children is critical, as unresolved childhood grief has a lifetime impact on a child:
1. Grief makes it hard to learn:
Classroom teachers report that students who have lost a parent or guardian typically exhibit (New York Life Foundation and American Federation of Teachers, 2012.)
a) Difficulty concentrating in class (observed by 87% of teachers)
b) Withdrawal/disengagement and less class participation (observed by 82%)
c) Absenteeism (observed by 72%)
d) Decrease in quality of work (observed by 68%)
e) Less reliability in turning in assignments (observed by 66%)
2. Unresolved grief can lead to a lifetime of struggles:
a) Often, people who have suffered the death of a parent show increased delinquency, suicidal ideation and preoccupation with issues of loss – compared to children from intact families or from families where the parents have divorced (Berlinsky, E. & Biller, H.).
b) 92%-96% of young people in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs have experienced the death of someone important (Columbia University, 2005).
c) “Young people who have experienced a death often exhibit difficulties with trust and intimacy, depression, fear of betrayal or change, anxiety and panic attacks, substance abuse and eating disorders throughout their lives”
CGC works to mitigate the risks associated with unresolved childhood grief by offering a wide range of grief support, including age appropriate peer support groups. Groups give children the opportunity to work through their grief alongside others who are their age and have a similar story. CGC strives for 85% of program participants to report an improvement in their ability to process their grief; a metric that has been exceeded yearly since their start in 2001.
CGC Testimonials
13 year old boy whose grandmother and aunt died: “The grief center helps me express my feelings much better.”
14 year old girl whose father died: “Thank you for helping me talk about my dad!”
9 year old girl whose brother died: “What I like about the Children’s Grief Center is that the volunteers are so nice and I can express my feelings more.”
13 year old boy whose uncle died: “It feels like a shelter where I can express my feelings without being made fun of.”
For More Information
To learn more about November 16th, visit childrensgriefawarnessday.org
For free support, call CGC at (505) 323-0478.
To learn more about CGC services and getting involved, visit www.childrensgrief.org or find the Children’s Grief Center of NM on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.
To Make a Donation
All donations to CGC are tax-deductible. CGC receives no state or federal funding. Call (505) 323-0478 or visit www.childrensgrief.org to give your gift of hope and healing to grieving families in New Mexico. Donations may also be sent directly to CGC at 3001 Trellis Drive NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107.