GroundSwell in the Media

March 6, 2020

March 6, 2020

How to act appropriately with grieving co-worker.

 "We go to work for our job, but also for our community. We need to recognise that… 5 to 10 per cent of the population will be bereaved at any one time.

That means at work, 5 to 10 per cent of people are grieving. Grief is exhausting, yet we are still expected to show up everyday – often in a team that will say, 'I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything'," Williams says.

August 1, 2019

August 1, 2019

10Daily Report - Massive Mark Ups': Funeral Industry's Trickery And Hidden Costs Unearthed

Jessie Williams, CEO of the GroundSwell Project, an Australian not-for-profit organisation aiming to create social change surrounding death and dying, told 10 daily Australians are uncomfortable talking about death.

"We avoid the conversation about death and dying - to die is to separate and to separate is uncomfortable and often we  use humor to diffuse that and avoid it," Williams said.

Williams said Dying to Know Day on August 8th is a good starting place.

March 2019

March 2019

Have you discussed your wishes? Death is not an easy topic to talk about.

Dead, deceased, not coming back, passed on... Talking about dying is difficult.

Jessie Williams spoke to ABC Radio Canberra Breakfast host Dan Bourchier about how to start the difficult conversation about life and death.


Is Death the Way to Bring Us Back to Community? | Jessie Williams | TEDxParramatta Nov 27, 2018

 

It’s time to lay down the busy and think about how we can build community around the one thing that will face us all. Our dying. In this talk, Jessie will show you how being involved in helping someone die or grieve could be the best thing you ever do in your life.

 

November 2, 2018

November 2, 2018

Death and taxes – both are inevitable.

Taxes are one of the first things squared away when starting a new job, but when (if ever) does someone at work sit you down and talk about death? Did you know the number of Australians that will die per year is going to double in the next 25 years? Sixty-seven per cent of employees continue working while undergoing treatment for an illness and 94 per cent of carers balance work with their personal responsibilities.

Click here to read more.

Listen

Listen

Jessie Williams on the Stand Out Life podcast

Whilst there are some components of this conversation that are tough to hear it is a truly remarkable conversation that ended with some long hugs between Jess and I. And that’s the power of creating connections and safe spaces to talk about grief and death.

I would encourage you to lean into these conversations, to build your community around you, and to know that there are people sharing in these stories too.

June 7, 2018

June 7, 2018

Matter Of Fact With Stan Grant

Compassionate Communities
Kerrie Noonan and Niki Read talk about Compassionate Communities as a way of combating loneliness and isolation in our elderly.

Broadcast 9:00pm Thu 7 Jun 2018.
Available on iview until 9:45pm on 21 Jun 2018.

July 10, 2017

July 10, 2017

Jessie Williams on Breath and Bone podcast

This podcast is an independent production by Sam Loy, and others, featuring non-fiction stories exploring what it means to be human. Human/Ordinary is inspired by the belief that all people are equal in our normalcy and that each of us have extraordinary stories to tell. 

He spoke with Jessie about her story - loss, accepting mortality, and unbreakable maternal bonds.

November 3, 2016

November 3, 2016

Good weekend / SMH: Last rites: how the Western world has lost its 'death literacy'

Many Australians are in denial about dying. Blame decades of outsourcing the entire end-of-life business, say the experts now working to wind back our fears.

Writer: Jackie Dent
Photo: Nic Walker

September 17, 2016

September 17, 2016

Australian Ethical - Jessie Williams featured

Women all over the world have a powerful voice, and it’s not just the occasional women politicians. Many women around the globe are actively participating in …

Just take a look at these inspiring, changemaking Australian women who are fighting to make a difference in the world.

February 25, 2016

February 25, 2016

Ideas Hoist

Jessie Williams wants to live in a world where everybody is learning, privileged people work for equality, and dragon boat racing is the united nations sport of choice.

October 2, 2016

October 2, 2016

UpStart: Conversations About Mortality

The GroundSwell project is trying to change perceptions about death, writes Katherine McLeod.

Written by: Katherine McLeod

August 10, 2016

August 10, 2016

SMH / Money: Families encouraged to talk about funeral plans before it's too late

According to the latest Australian Seniors Insurance Agency's Circle of Life study, an online survey of 1000 over-50s carried out by CoreData, only about 13 per cent of respondents have prepared for their own funeral.

Writer: Bina Brown

August 2, 2015

August 2, 2015

Why talking about death is good for you

If the subject of death is having a bit of a revival, it’s partly thanks to Kerrie Noonan, the Australian behind Dying to Know Day, held annually on August 8.  She’s on a mission to get people talking about death, to make plans, make their wishes known, and be better prepared to help loved ones through their own dying. “It’s no longer true to say death is a taboo subject,” she told me. “People do want to talk about it.”

Adele Horin: Why talking about death is good for you

August 5, 2015

August 5, 2015

Charlie discusses the end with The Death Talker Molly Carlile

Mollie Carlile, Ambassador for Dying to Know Day on Charlie Pickering's 'The Weekly'.

November 2015

‘A Good Death' - Slow Living Magazine Summer Edition 2015/16.

“We came together because we had a joint belief and concern about the way we were doing death in this country, and we knew the arts could play a role.” - Kerrie Noonan, The Groundswell Project