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Group to help teenagers bereaved by suicide

Ushma MistryCoventry
News imageBBC There is a purple and white upright banner with slogans about the violet project on the left, in the middle there is a cork board with some postcards on and on the right is the founder of the charity, Mel Griffin, who has blonde hair and is wearing glasses and a long light green dress. She is holding a memory book dedicated to her younger sister. BBC
The Violet Project is accepting referrals from young people who have been impacted by suicide for its new support group

A new support group aimed at young people who have been bereaved by suicide has been set up in Coventry.

Coping After Suicide Loss, has been co-designed by 15 to 19 year-olds with lived experience of suicide bereavement, and is being offered by the Violet Project.

Melanie Griffin, the charity's founder, said young people from families it supports suggested it should be a place for "bonding". They can also share group activities.

The sessions run every two weeks for six months from the charity's Spon End base and people can apply for its next group, which starts in July.

Griffin said they had asked young people from families it supports "what it is they would like" from a group.

She said: "A lot of them said 'we don't want to just sit in a room and just talk that's not what we want to do', it was about bonding and it was about talking about their experience."

It is currently accepting referrals for the next group, which can be done through its website.

Griffin set up the charity after her own experience of suicide loss but until now, was only able to support adults.

"We've always wanted to support young people, but as a fairly new organisation, we wanted to start with what we know and what we could deliver quite quickly," she said.

Griffin added they started groups for adults "but it was always in the back of my mind around running young people's support groups".

News imageDecorated glass jars with lids are on a wooden table as well as photo memory book with pictures of a girl on it
Young people attending the course can choose what activities they would like to do as a group, such as making memory books or going bowling

The support group through teenagers is funded by money raised by the charity which hopes to reach as many people as possible.

Griffin said as well as doing fun activities like bowling and ice skating, the aim of the sessions was to provide trauma-informed support and a safe space for young people.

"There's been a number of young people that have said that this has saved my life," she said.

"For many it's like 'I've not actually ever met anybody like me' and that was really sad to hear because there are so many young people out there that are bereaved by suicide.

"But for them it was realising I'm not alone.

"There are other people like me and I've got friends for life. So yes, it's focused around suicide bereavement, but it's also about making sure we keep these young people safe."

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