It’s a Wednesday morning in the school holidays. Some children are playing together in a school hall. It could be any regular school holiday program.
Yet something more, something serious, brings these children together. They have all lost a parent to suicide. This is Support After Suicide’s program tailored to children: Serious Fun.
“It’s an opportunity for children who have experienced loss by suicide to come together with other children who have had a similar experience”, explains Colin Charles, a counsellor with Support After Suicide and facilitator of Serious Fun. “It is all about giving the kids the sense that they’re not alone.”
This passion for connection drives the Serious Fun Program, the only program for kids that specifically focuses on the loss of a parent to suicide.
“My child can often feel left out at school and feels a real sense of loneliness after the loss of his dad”, one parent describes. “But when he walks out of Serious Fun, he’s always happy and says, ‘there’s people just like me’.“ And it’s not only the children who connect. While the kids are having fun, their parents meet over a coffee.
“It’s hard to balance my grief with parenting, it’s helpful to connect with others experiencing similar challenges. My child looks forward to Serious Fun, and so do I!”
