MacKillop Seasons’ flagship program, Seasons for Growth, has supported more than 500,000 children, young people and adults internationally over the past 30 years who have experienced significant change and loss in their lives.
MacKillop understands that significant change and loss can be challenging for children, young people and adults alike. It may be from the death of a loved one, removal from family, disability or family breakdown.
MacKillop Seasons joined MacKillop in 2017 and provides evidence-based education programs designed to assist children, young people and adults understand and attend well to their grief following major loss experiences.
It was in the mid-1990’s that MacKillop Seasons' founders, the Sisters of St Joseph along with Professor Anne Graham AO developed a peer-based, small group education program, Seasons for Growth. For almost 30 years, the Seasons for Growth programs has expanded to meet the increasing needs of the community and those adjusting to a significant life event.
Today, MacKillop Seasons delivers high quality loss and grief training and education programs throughout Australia and the world. Each of the programs provides a safe learning environment where children, young people and adults are able to give a voice to their experience, understand their feelings and to learn new ways to adapt. MacKillop Seasons' three key programs include:
Seasons for Growth is an evidence-based change and loss education program that uses imagery of the seasons to illustrate the experience of grief. It works to strengthen the emotional wellbeing of children, young people, adults and parents who have experienced major loss and life changes.
The program has since been adapted to support refugee children, young people following suicide events and children involved in natural disasters. It has been further adapted for adults experiencing loss, Indigenous people, prisoners, and parents of children in the program.
Seasons for Healing is a culturally appropriate evidence-based education program that helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults to understand and attend well to their grief.
Stormbirds is an education program that supports children and young people who have lived through a natural disaster.
MacKillop Seasons Initiatives: Seasons for Life and Stormbirds Disaster Readiness
Stormbirds Disaster Readiness Initiative is designed to build the capacity of schools and communities to support their children, young people, adults, and staff to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to extreme weather and disaster events. This initiative assists schools and communities in QLD, NSW and Victoria that have been impacted by, and preparing for disasters.
MacKillop Seasons received funding through the Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund and from the NSW Government for the ‘Storm-birds Disaster Readiness Initiative’.
The Seasons for Life Initiative is provided at no extra cost to schools; Seasons for Life supports secondary school communities across Australia with evidence-based loss and grief education. The initiative is designed to increase support for young people who have experienced a range of loss experiences, including loss by suicide.
Keeping Spirit Strong resources have been created with the support and guidance of First Nations community members and experts, to build the cultural knowledge, confidence and skills of staff to provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and families experiencing loss and grief, including loss by suicide. Resources include a directory, booklet, and eLearning module.
To find out more about MacKillop Seasons, including how to enrol for training, access funded training opportunities and shop for program materials and resources, visit www.mackillopseasons.org.au.