Welcome
Thriving Connections C.I.C.
Who we are
Normalising Conversations About Death, Dying & Grief
It is well known that as a society, we are not confident in supporting those around us who are coping with different forms of loss, or talking with each other about our own mortality. Despite death and loss affecting 100% of us at some point, we now live in a society whereby people avoid conversations about dying, and individuals are left struggling to cope with loss alone, becoming disconnected from their communities and more socially isolated. Thriving Connections C.I.C. was established to address these challenges, bringing the topics of death, dying and loss back into the normality of community life and everyday conversations across the West Midlands.
Our mission is to raise awareness and address the barriers that communities currently face accessing timely grief support at a grassroots level, reducing social isolation, and changing the dialogue of death and dying from one that is taboo, to one that is encouraged and welcomed. That is why we use our profits to deliver free community events that encourage conversations and learning about death, dying and loss.
About us
We are experts on the ground
At Thriving Connections C.I.C. our voluntary board members have over 90 years combined experience of working in partnerships with charities and health based organisations, both nationally and internationally, who support people at their vulnerable times. During that time we have witnessed the barriers that people face accessing support, the lack of awareness of help that is available to them, and the isolation that so many people experience as a result of some form of loss.
We recognise that as human beings we have a natural desire to help those in pain and distress. By enhancing public awareness, skills and confidence, we believe that we can help create communities that can better support those around them who currently struggle to access timely support and information about end of life and grief, or are at high risk of becoming socially isolated.
- People approaching end of life
- People living with long term illnesses
- People living with learning disabilities
- People living with physical disabilities
- Unpaid carers
- Communities of faith
- LGBTQ+ communities
- Prisoners
- Individuals whose lives have been affected by war and human trafficking.
- People experiencing homelessness
At Thriving Connections C.I.C. we work with partners and communities to identify and remove the barriers that currently exist for people being able to navigate end of life systems, access information and receive timely grief support.
“We don’t do to, we work alongside”
Thriving Connections C.I.C. prides itself in adopting a community development model of practice, working with communities to co-develop and co-facilitate projects. We use a strength based approach to our work, building on existing skills and assets from within the communities to empower them to develop supportive networks for those around them. We strongly believe that by adopting this inclusive approach we build the resilience and capacity of communities, reducing their reliance upon service interventions that can be delivered at grassroots level.
