The children who attend the Center for Grieving Children are guided along the path of healing by trained facilitators. You can be a part of this journey by volunteering as a trained grief facilitator and experience the fulfillment of helping children find ways to cope with their grief and move towards hope, healing and happiness.
- Facilitators encourage the expression of grief through grief-appropriate play and other activities such as arts, interactive play and painting
- At least 16 years of age and have parental consent if under 18 years of age
- A 25 hour training program (16 hours in person with over one weekend and 9 hours of in-person shadowing) is required in order to work directly with the children followed by experiential training during actual grief groups
- A one year commitment of service is required for one day or evening a week, every other week:
(Jan – May) (August – Dec) Tues and Thurs 5pm- 8pm - Pre-interview required
- Training course fee of $35.00 (please advise if hardship)
- Must submit to and pass a background screening
- Male & Spanish-speaking grief facilitators are always needed
- Must not have experienced a death in the past year
Waiting Period: All applicants who have experienced the death of a close family member or friend must observe a waiting period of one year from the date of the loss before they can be considered for a volunteer Grief Facilitator position at New Hope for Kids. This waiting period is designed to allow volunteers adequate time to process their own grief and ensure they are emotionally prepared to provide support to others.
Definition of Close Family Member or Friend:
For the purposes of this policy, 1-year: waiting period a close family member is defined as a parent, spouse, domestic partner, guardian, child, or sibling,
6 months: waiting period for a grandparent, or family member not listed above (i.e. aunt, uncle or cousin or close personal friend with whom the applicant had a significant and emotionally impactful relationship).
