The topic of death had become taboo for many Americans. People were becoming more hesitant to discuss death, dying, and what their end-of-life wishes are. That is why a group called The Order of The Good Death started the Death Positive Movement.

The Death Positive Movement encourages people to talk about death out in the open. Members of this group believe death shouldn’t be a hush-hush topic. Death is something that we all will experience, it’s part of being human. So why not discuss it like we would anything else?

Since the emergence of this movement, different Death Positive Programs have popped out around the world. More people are ready to talk about the inevitable and plan for when their time comes. Below are a few programs that are gaining popularity.

Death Salon 

The Death Salon encourages people to get together and have conversations about mortality and mourning and how they’ve impacted our culture and history. They want the gatherings to be a place where everyone is welcome as long as they are respectful of others. They host a variety of events throughout the year.

Death Café 

At a Death Café, people are encouraged to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death — often with people they just met. Their objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” They want communities to be able to openly talk about death and are not for profit. Death Cafés have been offered across 61 countries.

Death over Dinner

Death over Dinner has the goal of getting people to have straightforward conversations about what they want at the end of their life. They encourage people to host a dinner at their home with loved ones to start a discussion about end of life plans.

Basically, you log onto their website and fill out a few questions about your intentions for a discussion about death. They give you a script with conversational prompts and other materials to get you and your guests ready. Their goal is to get everyone on the same page and to create an open environment for a conversation about death.

The Death Talk Project 

The Death Talk Project was created by Life-Cycle Celebrant Holly Pruett. This program hosts workshops, rituals, Death Cafes, and other events to get people talking about death. Topics include how we die, how we mourn, and how we care for and remember our dead.

Have you ever been to a death positive event? Share your experience in the comments below!