About me

MY HOME IS IN CONNECTION 

I grew up in a colorful, mixed family in Croatia and Germany. As a result, I have always been in touch with different cultures, traditions and values. I have visited many countries around the world and met people of different backgrounds and beliefs. This is my personal basis for openness, tolerance and mutual appreciation. Since 2010 I have been living in Warsaw.

MY GRIEF JOURNEY

In 2015, my child died during pregnancy. This experience has influenced me deeply and has led to many changes in my life. After the loss, I experienced myself how vulnerable we are when we are grieving and how other people can do additional harm with helpless comments.

After losing my child, I felt helpless and paralyzed. My knowledge about grief was very limited. I didn’t know where and how I could find peace. When I found out that there are professional grief counselors, I felt attracted, but was also sceptical.

Today I am grateful that I found the courage to seek help. On my way through grief, I have been supported by people whose fearless and loving attitude towards my pain has been the greatest gift. With their support, I have learned to speak openly about my experiences and feelings, and to share them with others.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

I studied Cultural Sciences and Scenic Arts in Hildesheim, Zagreb and Bologna. My interest in rituals as a cultural practice dates back to that time. I have learned how artistic expression can help us understand our feelings and ourselves better. I trust my creativity, which often leads me to unconventional solutions.

Since 2018 I am a volunteer at the hospice and accompany people in their last chapter of life. As an instructor for Last Aid Courses I educate people about the process of dying.

I am a trained grief counselor. In 2019 I completed the course “Spiritual care and grief counseling” in Heidelberg.

I have participated in workshops for ritual celebrants and I am currently in training to become an end-of-life doula.

INSTITUTE OF THE GOOD DEATH

In 2020 I founded the Institute of the Good Death (Instytut Dobrej Śmierci) as a space for dialogue and education about mortality. We identify as part of the global “death positive” movement and are looking for new ways to talk about dying, death and grief as natural parts of life.

Our interdisciplinary collective includes professionals from the funeral industry, palliative care experts, grief workers, psychologists, journalists, scientists and artists, who want to continue to exchange knowledge and experience through collaboration and synergistic creativity.

We organise public debates, lectures, trainings and workshops to raise awareness of topics such as end of life care, funeral culture, grief support, theory and practice of rituals, and death and grief in arts and humanities.

BLOG AND PODCAST

On my blog Sprawy Ostateczne I write (in Polish) about issues related to dying, death and grief. In the Sprawy Ostateczne podcast, I speak with different people about the fact that our life on this planet is finite. You can also find me on Facebook and Instagram under the name Sprawy Ostateczne.

 

I want to help reshape the dialogue about death and dying in our society, so we can talk about these topics more openly. Only then can we learn to better support each other in grief.

© Anja Franczak 2019 I Design: Ulrich Haug I Polityka Prywatności I Prawa Autorskie