Compassionate Communities NI (CCNI) is a public health initiative dedicated to changing how society views and responds to ageing, dying, death, and loss.
Their core mission is to empower individuals and communities to support one another during these natural life events, ensuring that no one has to face them in isolation.
Supporting One Another Through Loss
Compassionate Communities NI operates on the belief that caring for one another during times of health crisis and bereavement is a responsibility shared by everyone—not just health and social care services.
By fostering “death literacy,” they help people build the confidence and skills needed to offer meaningful support to neighbours, friends, and family.
Key Initiatives for the Bereaved
Compassionate Neighbours: Empowering people in communities to provide social and emotional support to those living with life-limiting illnesses or experiencing the “social death” that often accompanies isolation and grief.
- Death Positive Libraries: Safe, accessible spaces in local libraries across Northern Ireland where individuals can find curated resources and engage in open conversations about loss.
- Plan Ahead (Advance Care Planning): Tools and workshops that help individuals document their future care and end-of-life wishes. Sharing and recording wishes ensures dignity, comfort and autonomy, and reduces the emotional and practical burden on families during bereavement.
Why It Matters
When a community is “death-prepared,” the journey for those left behind is profoundly different. By normalising conversations around death and dying, CCNI helps prevent complicated grief and ensures that compassion is woven into the fabric of everyday life—at home, in the workplace, and in our communities.
CCNI resources
End of Life Support https://youtu.be/HpvGZycvhbc
Your Journey with Grief https://youtu.be/91kgWbnfPF0
Sarah the Carer https://www.compassionatecommunitiesni.com/sarah-the-carer
Patrick the Planner https://www.compassionatecommunitiesni.com/patrick-the-planner