When she was 19 years old, Samantha Lapierre’s mom died. As a university student, she was far from home without a strong network of support. Most of her peers had not experienced parent death and the subject seemed to make them feel uncomfortable. Online resources were targeted to people older than her, while therapy was an expensive and overwhelming prospect. She felt alone in her grief.

Dead Parents Podcast is Samantha’s contribution to building a community of support for people grieving a parent. Through an informal interview-style podcast, she is facilitating open, honest conversations about the multi-faceted experience of parent death, acknowledging the difficult, nuanced and sometimes complicated feelings that come along with it. She also intends to facilitate events that make space for artists to share their work about grief and loss, and to continue the discussion in real time.

JustChange Ottawa is proud to support Dead Parents Podcast’s efforts to build a community for healing, provide an educational tool for listeners who want to better support others, and ultimately break down the taboos around talking about death.

Please join us to celebrate Dead Parent’s Podcast on Sunday, March 3rd at the Atomic Rooster from 3pm – 4:30pm.