1 Guide!to!running!your!own!Death!Cafe Introduction This!guide!is!for!those!who!are!looking!to!host!Death!Cafés!or!conversations!about! death.!However,!you!are!welcome!to!read!this!whoever!you!are.!We!recommend! you!read!the!page!on!What!is!Death!Cafe!before!reading!this!guide. This!is!a!copy!of!version!2.1!of!our!guide.!The!master!version,!with!links,!is!kept!on! our!website!at!http://deathcafe.com/how. It!has!been!written!by!Jon!Underwood!with!input!from!a!number!of!others.!In! particular,!thanks!goes!to!Sue!Barsky!Reid!who!developed!our!core!model. This!document!is!open!to!discussion,!edit!and!improvement.!Please!post!constructive! suggestions!or!queries!on!the!Death!Cafe!practitioners!page. Thank!you!for!your!interest!in!Death!Cafe! 1.!Working!with!us 1.1!Death!Cafe!operates!a!free!affiliate!scheme.!This!means!people!who!sign!up!to! our!principles!are!authorised!to!do!certain!things,!i.e.: •!Use!the!name!Death!Cafe!for!their!events. •!Post!events!to!our!website. •!Talk!to!the!press!and!others!as!an!affiliate!of!Death!Cafe. 1.2.Our!principles!are!that!Death!Cafes!are!always!offered: •!With!no!intention!of!leading!participants!to!any!conclusion,!product!or!course!of! action. •!As!an!open,!respectful!and!confidential!space!where!people!can!express!their! views!safely. •!On!a!not!for!profit!basis. •!Alongside!refreshing!drinks!and!nourishing!food!–!and!cake! 1.3!It's!also!worth!stating!here!what!Death!Cafes!is!not: •!Death!Cafe!is!not!a!bereavement!support!or!grief!counselling!setting.!Death!Cafe! doesn't!work!for!people!who,!for!whatever!reason,!aren't!able!to!discuss!death! 2 comfortably!and!openly.!There!are!many!projects!better!set!up!for!this. •!Death!Cafes!aren't!an!opportunity!to!give!people!information!about!death!and! dying!V!regardless!of!how!good!or!important!it!is.!Rather!we!create!time!to!discuss! death!without!expectations.!For!this!reason!having!guest!speakers!and!information! materials!available!is!actively!discouraged •!Death!Cafe!doesn't!work!as!a!method!of!community!engagement,!research!or! consultation.!It!shouldn't!be!used!for!these!purposes. We!have!established!this!structure!to!keep!Death!Cafe!positive.!This!is!also!to! prevent!the!use!of!this!concept!by!those!with!an!interest!in!leading!people!to! conclusions,!products!or!a!specific!course!of!action. 1.4!When!you!post!your!Death!Cafes!on!our!site!you'll!be!asked!to!sign!up!to!our! 'Working!with!us'!document!which!contains!all!our!terms!and!conditions.!To!see!this! click!here. 2.!What!do!I!need!to!hold!a!Death!Cafe? 2.1!The!things!needed!to!hold!a!Death!Cafe!are: •!A!host!and!facilitator. •!A!venue!with!refreshments!booked!for!a!certain!time!and!date. •!People!who!want!to!talk!about!death. That's!it!!The!Death!Cafe!format!is!flexible,!lightweight!and!straightforward.!What! makes!it!special!is!the!discussion!about!death,!there!is!no!need!for!bells!and!whistles. The!sections!below!give!more!detail!the!things!you'll!need!to!hold!a!Death!Cafe. 3.!Hosting!a!Death!Cafe A!Death!Cafe!host!is!the!person!or!people!who!make!the!Death!Cafe!happen.!Being!a! Death!Cafe!host!tends!to!be!an!enlightening!and!pleasent!way!of!working!with!death! in!the!community,!and!investing!in!your!personal!growth. 3.1!The!main!qualities!of!a!host!are!enthusiasm!for!talking!about!death!and!dying! and!high!ethical!standards.!It!also!helps!to!have!good!organisational!skills,!the!ability! to!build!relationships,!good!networks!and!patience!!Ideally!you'll!have!attended!a! Death!Cafe!before!organising!your!own!but!we!recognise!this!is!sometimes!not! possible. 3.2!The!activities!of!a!Death!Cafe!host!are!likely!to!include: •!Recruiting!and!coVordinating!the!other!people!involved!in!the!Death!Cafe. •!Arranging!the!venue!and!refreshments!for!the!Death!Cafe!(see!section!on!Venues,! refreshments!and!timings.) •!Letting!people!know!about!the!Death!Cafe!(see!section!on!Publicising!your!Death! Cafe.) 3 •!Ensuring!the!quality!and!safety!of!the!event. •!Dealing!with!RSVPs!if!you!decide!to!have!them. 3.3!The!steps!involved!in!hosting!a!Death!Cafe!begin!with!a!thorough!read!of!this! guide.!After!that,!they!roughly!consist!of: •!Agreeing!who!will!do!what. •!Finding!the!venue!and!setting!the!date. •!Letting!people!know. •!Holding!and!enjoying!your!Death!Cafe. •!Writeup!/!debrief!and!evaluation. 3.4!As!a!host!you're!responsible!for!the!safety!of!your!Death!Cafes.!Death!Cafes!tend! to!be!very!safe!and!positive!events!and!we!have!had!very!little!incident!in!our!200! Death!Cafes!to!date.!Having!said!that,!to!ensure!the!safety!of!your!Death!Cafe! please: •!Check!all!facilitators!meet!the!criteria!in!the!section!below. •!Have!a!minimum!of!2!Death!Cafe!people!at!the!event,!especially!if!the!Death!Cafe! is!in!a!domestic!setting. •!Ensure!you!know!where!and!how!to!refer!people!who!need!more!support. •!Refuse!to!admit!anyone!who!comes!to!a!Death!Cafe!intoxicated. •!Ensure!people!know!that!Death!Cafe!is!not!a!bereavement!/!grief!support!resource. 3.5!We're!now!fortunate!to!have!a!number!of!experienced!Death!Cafe!facilitators!in! our!community.!If!you've!questions!please!post!them!to!the!Death!Cafe!practitioners! page.!Some!hosts!are!open!to!mentoring!others!in!their!Death!Cafe!work.!Please!feel! free!to!get!in!touch!with!them!via!their!profile!pages. 4.!Being!a!Death!Cafe!facilitator Facilitation!is!essential!to!Death!Cafe.!This!role!can!be!summarised!as!making!people! feel!safe!to!talk!about!death.!Death!Cafes!tend!to!be!very!nice!to!facilitate!V!everyone! there!wants!to!talk!about!death!and!most!have!a!lot!to!say.!Facilitators!can!be!the! same!person!as!the!host!or!different!but!unlike!hosts,!a!facilitator!only!performs! her/his!role!during!the!Death!Cafe!session. 4.1!In!general!the!facilitator's!role!consists!of: •!Welcoming!people!to!the!Death!Cafe!and!itroducing!the!session. •!Ensuring,!during!the!discussion,!that!our!guidelines!are!respected!especially! regarding!tolerance!for!others'!views. •!Bringing!people!into!the!discussion!if!you!think!they!want!to!say!something. •!Moving!the!discussion!on!if!things!get!stuck. •!Managing!any!difficult!situations.!Fortunately!these!instances!are!very!rare. •!Closing!the!session!and!asking!for!evaluation. 4.2!We!don't!insist!that!facilitators!have!a!formal!qualification!in,!or!specific!level!of! experience!with,!death!and!dying!V!we!believe!that!death!belongs!to!everybody.! 4 However,!all!Death!Cafe!facilitators!should: •!Be!able!to!listen!to!and!discuss!all!aspects!of!death!and!dying!with!equanimity. •!Have!good!group!facilitation!skills. •!Be!able!to!handle!any!issues!or!problematic!situations!at!or!arising!from!the!Death! Cafe. Along!with!the!skills!above,!the!main!qualities!of!a!facilitator!are!enthusiasm!for! talking!about!death!and!dying,!empathy,!clear!boundaries,!flexibility!and!a!friendly! manner. 4.3!In!the!Death!Cafe!there!are!no!hierarchies.!We!all!meet!simply!as!people!who!are! going!to!die.!As!such!any!facilitators!who!work!around!death!and!dying!should!be! willing!to!leave!their!professional!identity!at!the!door. 4.4!In!general!facilitators!leave!a!Death!Cafe!feeling!uplifted,!but!this!doesn't!always! happen.!It!is!not!unusual!to!feel!concerned!or!even!downcast.!If!you'd!like!to!discuss! any!aspect!of!what!you've!heard!please!post!to!the!Death!Cafe!practitioners!page!or! contact!us. 5.!Venues,!refreshments!and!timings Venues A!good!venue!is!important!as!a!pleasant!environment!helps!people!relax!and!talk! about!death.!Death!Cafe!is!very!flexible!and!has!been!run!successfully!in!a!variety!of! setting!including!people's!homes,!cafes!and!restaurants,!community!spaces,!festivals! halls,!tents!and!parks. 5.1!The!following!questions!might!help!you!find!the!right!venue!for!your!Death!Cafe: •!Where!will!you!feel!most!comfortable!and!relaxed? •!Where!will!you!get!free,!or!if!not!inexpensive,!room!rental?!Houses!and!cafes! mostly!tick!this!box. •!Where!is!it!easy!to!obtain!refreshments?!Cafes!are!good!in!respect!of!this!as! people!can!just!buy!their!own!refreshments. •!Where!is!a!convenient!location!within!the!community? •!What!might!be!an!interesting!and!different!venue!and!so!catch!people's!attention? 5.2!Experience!shows!that!once!you!decide!on!a!venue!and!set!the!time!and!date,! everything!tends!to!fall!into!place.!We!would!recommend!you!confirm!your!date!a! minimum!of!1!month!before!the!Death!Cafe!to!allow!time!to!let!people!know. Refreshments 5.3!As!you'll!have!seen,!it!is!one!of!our!principles!to!have!refreshments!at!a!Death! Cafe.!The!linking!of!death,!food!and!drink!comes!from!Bernard!Crettaz’s!Café!Mortels! concept.!Mr.!Crettaz!said!that!'nothing!marks!to!community!of!the!living!like!sharing! food!and!drink'. 5 5.4!Death!Cafe!likes!to!talk!about!cake!a!lot,!and!cake!is!certainly!popular.!However! any!sort!of!food!and!drink!is!ok!so!this!can!be!geared!to!your!community.!We!have!a! preference!for!vegetarian!food!and!it!is!good!to!have!vegan!options.!Occasionally! alcohol!(in!moderation)!has!been!drunk!at!Death!Cafes!with!no!observable!ill!effects. 5.5!There!are!a!range!of!options!for!providing!food!and!drink!and!it!is!worth!making! reference!your!choice!when!you!publicise!your!Death!Cafe.!Some!options!are!less! expensive!and!time!consuming!that!others.!These!include: •!Hosting!a!potluck!where!attendees!contribute!food!to!share. •!If!you're!holding!your!Death!Cafe!somewhere!that!sells!refreshments,!asking! people!to!buy!their!own.!This!might!persuade!venue!owners!to!give!you!the!space. •!Making!your!own!food!and!drink!for!the!Death!Cafe. •!Asking!someone!else!to!provide!the!food!and!drink,!either!voluntarily!or!(if!there's! no!alternative)!professionally. 5.6!If!you!decide!to!have!home!prepared!food!or!potluck,!please!have!regard!to!food! preparation!and!handling!guidelines!and!regulation.!These!vary!greatly!from!area!to! area,!and!from!community!to!community.!It!is!the!host's!responsibility!to!ensure!that! any!food!and!drink!provided!is!safe. Timings 5.5!People!often!ask!how!regularly!they!should!organise!a!Death!Cafe.!The!answer!is! that!there!are!no!recommended!timescales!V!hosts!organise!them!whenever!feels! right.!A!minority!of!Death!Cafes!take!place!monthly!but!most!are!on!an!asVandVwhen! basis.!Sometimes!people!organise!a!run!of!4!or!so!Death!Cafes!and!then!take!a!break. 5.6!The!average!time!to!a!Death!Cafe!is!around!2!hours.!It!is!possible!to!have!longer! and!it!is!also!possible!to!have!a!meaningful!Death!Cafe!in!an!hour.!When!considering! your!timings!please!remember!that!people!often!arrive!late!and!take!time!to!settle. 5.7!There!is!no!particular!day!of!the!week!or!time!that!works!particularly!well!for! Death!Cafe.!In!general!weekday!evenings!and!weekend!afternoons!have!been!most! popular.!It's!worth!considering!what!works!well!for!you!and!is!accessible!for!those! who!want!to!come. 5.8!One!final!thing!to!say!in!relation!to!Death!Cafe!timings!V!don't!rush!!Taking!the! time!to!plan!delivers!a!better!event. 6.!The!Death!Cafe!session 6.1!Please2note:!The!Death!Cafe!model!doesn't!include!having!specific!topics,!set! questions!and!(in!particular)!guest!speakers.!We!ask!you!not!to!have!these!at!your! Death!Cafes.!Our!view!is!that,!when!it!comes!to!death,!people!have!enough!to! discuss!already. To!elaborate,!giving!extra!input!or!setting!too!much!of!an!agenda!risks!being! presumptuous,!restrictive!and/or!disempowering.!As!such!we!favour!offering!a! 6 group!directed!session!offering!participants!time!to!reflect!on!and!share!what!they! think!is!important.!In!our!experience!this!yields!the!best!results. 6.2!This!refers!to!the!Death!Cafe!session!itself,!which!is!always!straightforward!and! open!discussion!about!death.!It!is!ok!to!situate!your!Death!Cafe!in!a!wider! programme!of!events!and!this!has!happened!a!number!of!times!at!large!events! focused!on!death.!Death!Cafes!could!also!happen!in!other!settings!too,!such!as!art! shows,!film!screenings,!political!debates,!training!sessions!and!days!of!spiritual! practice.!However!the!Death!Cafe!should!always!be!separate!from!these,!and! observe!our!principles.!Only!the!Death!Cafe!part!of!such!events!will!be!advertised!on! this!website. 6.3!In!general!Death!Cafes!are!open!to,!and!respectful!of,!people!of!all!communities! and!belief!systems.!However!it!is!fine,!and!can!be!very!good,!to!have!Death!Cafes!for! specific!communities!and!belief!systems.!For!example!we!have!had!a!number!of! Death!Cafes!specifically!for!the!LGBT!community.!In!the!same!way!it!is!possible!to! have!Death!Cafes!for!other!communities!/!groups!e.g.!Muslims,!young!people,!older! people,!homeless!people!etc.!Wherever!possible!these!should!be!facilitated!by! people!who!are!from!that!community. 6.2!There!are!2!basic!ways!to!hold!a!Death!Cafe!and!it's!best!to!decide!which!you'll! use!in!advance: •!Cafe!model.!This!is!when!there!is!facilitator!with!the!group!throughout!the! discussion.!In!this!case,!the!ideal!group!size!is!between!6!and!12!people.!Generally!3! would!be!a!minimum!group!size!and!20!a!maximum. •!Salon!model.!This!is!when!the!groups!are!self!facilitating.!Generally!the!facilitator/s! would!give!an!introduction!and!then!float!between!groups!when!needed.!This!works! better!for!large!Death!Cafes.!In!this!case!the!group!size!would!generally!be!between! 4!and!8!people. 6.3!Generally!Death!Cafes!are!for!adults.!However!occasionally!people!have!asked!to! bring!children!/!young!adults,!or!just!shown!up!with!them.!When!they!have!been! admitted!the!session!has!been!fine!for!them!and!their!parents,!but!sometimes!other! group!members!have!felt!inhibited.!If!you!decide!to!admit!young!people!please! ensure!you're!adequately!set!up!for!this!to!be!safe,!and!ask!the!consent!of!other! group!members. Like!life,!a!Death!Cafe!has!a!start,!middle!and!an!end: Start 6.4!At!the!start!of!your!Death!Cafe!it!is!good!to!set!out!some!things: •!What!Death!Cafe!is!and!where!it!has!come!from!(see!here)!and!our!principles! (above). •!Whether!you're!asking!for!donations!and,!if!so,!what!these!are!for!(see!Death!Cafe! and!money!below). •!Some!basic!ground!rules:!listening!when!people!are!talking,!respect!for!others'! 7 views!and!confidentiality. •!What!you're!going!to!do!in!the!session. •!Ask!if!there!are!any!questions!before!continuing. 6.5!In!terms!of!confidentiality!we!generally!say!that!we!share!feedback!for! publication!on!the!Death!Café!website,!but!no!information!is!linked!to!any!particular! person.!It's!also!good!to!ask!whether!people!are!comfortable!with!photos!being! taken!if!you!plan!to!do!so.!If!there!are!any!journalists!present!it!is!appropriate!that! they!identify!themselves!to!the!group.!If!the!Death!Cafe!is!to!be!filmed!or!recorded! then!attendees!should!be!notified!before!the!event. Middle 6.6!As!we've!said,!a!core!model!is!a!groupVdirected!discussion!without!specific!topics,! questions!or!speakers.!Basically!there!is!no!agenda.!As!such!the!session!tends!to!run! as!follows: •!The!facilitator!asks!the!group!to!introduce!themselves!and!say!why!they've!come! to!Death!Cafe.!This!gives!an!opportunity!for!people!to!say!whatever!they!want!to! say.!Everyone!takes!a!turn!apart!from!people!who!don't!want!to!speak.!People! volunteer!some!amazing!things!!If!the!facilitator!is!with!the!group,!she/he!takes!a! turn!to!speak!too.!This!part!of!the!Death!Cafe!can!take!some!time!V!up!to!an!hour!in!a! group!of!10. •!After!that!the!facilitator!asks!if!anything!came!up!for!the!group!whilst!people!were! speaking!V!thoughts,!questions!or!reflections.!This!may!feel!challenging!or!risky!for! the!facilitator!but!attendees!tend!to!take!over!the!discussion!and!the!time!flies!by. •!If,!after!trying!the!groupVdirected!approach,!you!think!your!attendees!would!prefer! a!more!structured!session!then!it!is!ok!to!introduce!a!couple!of!specific!questions.!It! is!good!to!have!these!in!mind!anyway!in!case!they!would!help!the!discussion.!It!is! good!to!keep!any!questions!very!open.!Please!don't!ask!more!than!3!V!the!Death!Cafe! tends!to!fly!by!and!it!doesn't!work!to!try!to!do!too!much.!It!is!always!possible!to!have! more!Death!Cafes! End 6.7!After!the!allotted!time,!or!if!it!feels!like!you've!finished,!bring!the!Death!Cafe! session!to!a!close.!It's!good!to!give!people!between!5!and!20!minutes!notice!so!they! have!a!chance!to!share!anything!they!want!before!the!end. 6.7!Please!thank!everybody!for!attending!and!ask!them!to!evaluate!the!session.!In! due!course!people!will!be!able!to!submit!their!evaluations!on!this!site.!In!the! meantime!we!have!a!form!which!you!and!download!here. 6.8!It's!good!to!stay!around!after!the!session!has!ended!to!talk!to!anyone!who!wants! to!talk.!It's!also!good!to!debrief!with!the!other!hosts!and!facilitators!sometime!after! the!event. 7.!Publicising!your!Death!Cafe 8 The!objective!of!Death!Café!is!to!‘increase!awareness!of!death!with!a!view!to!helping! people!make!the!most!of!their!(finite)!lives’.!Publicising!your!Death!Cafe!is!a!great! way!to!do!this.!You'll!be!talking!to!people!about!death!whether!they're!coming!to! your!Death!Cafe!or!not. 7.1!As!soon!as!you're!ready,!please!post!your!Death!Cafe!to!this!site.!You!can!do!this! here.!You!can!also!give!updates!about!your!Death!Cafe!(e.g.!'we're!full!')!that!will! appear!on!the!main!news!pages. 7.2!It’s!also!worth!thinking!about!how!you!will!publicise!your!Death!Café!locally.!The! Death!Cafe!website!reaches!a!number!of!people!but!reaching!out!yourself!is!really! effective.!Ways!that!you!can!do!this!include: •!Reaching!out!to!your!personal!networks.!Let!your!friends,!family!and!social!circles! know!you're!doing!this!(if!you!want!to). •!Contact!the!local!press!and!also!others!working!in!media!whom!you!know.!The! media!are!often!interested!in!Death!Cafe!and!of!course!they!need!things!to!write! about!V!what!better!than!death!!The!traditional!way!to!do!this!is!send!a!press!release! and!follow!up!with!a!phone!call. •!Post!on!social!websites!such!as!Facebook,!Twitter!and!Meetup.!To!avoid!confusion! we!ask!people!not!to!start!blogs!or!twitter!accounts!with!Death!Café!in!the!title.!It!is! fine!to!start!Death!Café!facebook!pages!for!your!Death!Café!but!please!be!willing!to! let!others!in!your!area!post!their!Death!Cafes!there!too. •!Identify!communities!of!interest!locally!(e.g.!students,!artists,!philosophy!groups)! and!connect!with!them. 7.3!Some!hosts!prefer!to!request!RSVPs!from!potential!attendees.!This!enables!them! to!control!numbers!and!communicate!prior!to!the!session.!The!only!disadvantage!of! requesting!RSVPs!is!the!increased!admin.!RSVPs!are!only!essential!if!the!Death!Cafe! is!in!a!private!location!and!many!hosts!prefer!to!do!without.!When!you!post!your! Death!Cafe!on!the!site!there!is!an!option!to!add!a!booking!form!to!your!Death!Cafe! page.!If!people!fill!this!in!we!will!send!you!an!email.!Your!email!address!is!never! displayed!on!this!site. 7.4!Some!people!like!to!create!their!own!Death!Cafe!posters!to!post!on!line!and!/!or! put!up!locally.!This!is!fun!but!printing!and!design!can!be!time!consuming!and! expensive. 7.5!When!talking!to!the!media!as!an!affiliate!of!Death!Cafe!here!we!ask!you!to: •!Wherever!possible!convey!our!principles!i.e.!not!for!profit,!with!not!intention!of! leading!people...!etc. •!Credit!Jon!Underwood!with!founding!Death!Café!based!on!the!work!of!Bernard! Crettaz. •!If!you’re!in!the!United!States!please!add!that!Lizzy!Miles!was!the!first!person!to! offer!Death!Café!in!the!US. •!Please!ask!them!to!give!a!link!to!deathcafe.com. 7.6!Once!people!find!out!that!you're!offering!a!Death!Cafe,!be!prepared!for!some! 9 interesting!conversations.!However!these!can!be!extremely!valuable!and!in themselves!meet!the!objectives!of!Death!Café.!Sue!BarskyVReid!says!‘There!is! something!a!bit!eccentric!about!doing!a!Death!Café.!However,!if!you’re!anything!like! me,!you’ll!like!being!thought!of!as!an!eccentric!’ 8.!Death!Cafe,!money!and!sponsorship 8.1!We!request!hosts!to!help!make!Death!Cafe!sustainable!by!minimising!the!costs!of! your!event.!It!really!isn't!necessary!to!have!very!expensive!cakes,!or!order!a!Death! Cafe!stamp!or!pay!for!a!posh!room.!What!makes!a!Death!Cafe!special!is!the! conversation!about!death.!However!we!do!recognise!that!Death!Cafes!sometimes! cost!money!to!organise. 8.2!There!are!3!ways!to!organise!your!Death!Cafe!in!terms!of!money: •!Offer!it!for!free.!This!is!the!most!straightforward!way.!Please!acknowledge!those! who!have!contributed!to!the!Death!Cafe!being!free!in!your!publicity. •!Ask!for!a!nonVspecific!donation!e.g.!by!saying!something!like!'donations!welcome'! on!your!publicity.!The!amount!received!from!donations!is!variable!and!rarely!very! much.!People!need!to!be!reminded!to!donate!at!the!start!and!end!of!the!session. •!Request!a!specific!donation!e.g.!$4!per!person.!If!you!do!this!please!clearly!set!out! what!the!donation!is!going!to!be!used!for!so!people!can!see!that!it!accords!with!our! notVforVprofit!ethos.!A!specific!donation!is!different!from!a!ticket!price!in!that!people! shouldn't!be!excluded!who!aren't!able!or!willing!to!pay!it. 8.3!Death!Cafes!never!have!a!ticket!price!or!exclude!those!who!can't!afford!to! donate. Sponsorship 8.4!We!also!accept!contributions!towards!our!Death!Cafe.!Organisations!or!people! who!contribute!are!called!sponsors.!Their!contributions!can!take!a!number!of!forms! such!as: •!Money!for!expenses. •!Donation!of!a!room. •!Provision!of!drinks!and!refreshments. •!Access!to!networks. •!Allowing!employees!to!organise!the!Death!Cafe!during!work!time. 8.5!Our!current!policy!is!to!acknowledge!sponsors!in!the!text!about!the!Death!Cafe.! We!don't!include!the!names!of!organisations!in!the!title!of!the!Death!Cafe.!However! this!is!under!review!as!some!in!our!community!believe!that!sponsorship!contravenes! our!principle!of!not!leading!people!to!any!conclusion,!product!and!course!of!action. 8.6!There!are!some!types!of!organisations!we!never!accept!sponsorship!from!or! associate!with: •!Large!private!sector!organisations!in!the!death!and!dying!sector. •!Political!organisations. 10 •!Campaign!groups!whose!remit!includes!contentious!issues!involving!death!such!as! right!to!die,!abortion!or!vivisection. 8.7!We!reserve!the!right!to!reject!sponsorship!at!our!discretion.!If!the!amount!of! sponsorship!is!larger!than!that!needed!for!the!Death!Cafe!or!to!discuss!our!policy! please!contact!us. 9.!Death!Cafe!quick!start!guide 9.1!Here's!a!rough!checklist!of!what!you!need!to!do!to!organise!a!Death!Cafe: •!Read!this!guide!from!cover!to!cover. •!Decide!who!is!going!to!do!what!regarding!refreshments,!publicity,!facilitation!etc.! and!how!this!will!be!done. •!Decide!on!your!venue!and!set!the!date!and!time. •!Post!the!Death!Cafe!the!Death!Cafe!website. •!Let!others!know!V!friends!and!family,!media,!networks. •!Enjoy!your!Death!Cafe! •!Evaluate,!writeup!and!debrief. 9.2!If!you!have!any!questions!about!any!of!this!please!post!them!to!the!Death!Cafe! practitioners!page Final!remarks This!guide!is!likely!to!change!as!time!goes!by.!Please!get!in!contact!if!you'd!like!to! play!a!role!in!maintaining!it,!or!have!specific!suggestions!for!improvement.!In!time!I! would!like!to!establish!a!wiki!for!this!document. If!you!have!any!questions!please!post!them!on!the!Death!Cafe!practitioners!page. In!the!meantime!thanks!for!your!interest!in!holding!a!Death!Cafe!and!good!luck!with! your!events! Death!Cafe!is!provided!by Impermanence