At the Residential Groups children and young people are given the opportunity to share their stories, to more fully express their feelings and develop a deeper understanding of grief and their journey through it. The weekend encourages them to take part in specifically designed therapeutic activities, such as creating a ‘memory jar’. A memory jar is used as a trigger to encourage young people to share their story. It is created using different coloured chalks to dye salt – each colour is chosen carefully to represent a memory of the person who died. The young people are encouraged to recognise and record special memories of their loved one and share these memories with the rest of their group. This not only encourages them to share their story, but also to think about their feelings; this can often be the first step to moving forward and embracing the future. The weekend also includes fun activities such as wall climbing and archery, which aim to build self-esteem and confidence. At the core of this weekend is the encouragement by our practitioners for parents and children to meet others who have similar experiences, to share their stories and enhance their sense of self-worth through various team-building activities. "A group setting may be the first time a bereaved young person will encounter another bereaved person, an experience that has a uniquely powerful effect on self-esteem and reducing isolation”. Brendan McIntyre, Winston’s Wish Family Services Manager “He’s a completely different person. In the car he was talking all the time. He’s been so quiet since the death; the weekend really brought him out. I was able to talk to him as well. Before camp he never talked about it.” Parent, July Camp 2007 The Residential Group is part of a long term programme of support for these young people and their families, it offers a fundamental service to help them better understand the nature of loss and offer the practical support and guidance that many need in order to cope throughout the grieving process. A simultaneous weekend for parents and carers runs parallel to the children’s residential group at a different venue. This programme has a dual focus: firstly, on their own bereavement and secondly, on how to support their grieving children. When families are reunited at the end of the two days, they begin the process of sharing their experiences and responses to the weekend, which deepens communication within the family. Funds required for the next Residential Group in September 2009 Breakdown of Project Costs for 24 children and their parents/carers Total direct costs including direct staff costs, resources, venue hire, accommodation and travel costs = £26,200 Other associated charitable expenditure including supervision for staff, profile raising for the service = £13,000 Support costs including clinical volunteer management, administration, insurance and premises = £12,250 Total cost = £51,450