We know what it’s like to grieve.
And we aren’t afraid to talk about it.

New adult friendships are hard enough to find. Let alone when you’re grieving.

We connect young adult grievers to a caring and supportive community of peers who help each other navigate loss, life, and all the stuff in between. Because grief isn’t a problem that needs solving, but the loneliness that comes with it is.

What we mean by community:

Not your parent’s grief group.

We’re really sick of traditional grief support options kind of sucking. But, you know that feeling when you’re around the people who seem to just “get you”? Maybe they have similar cultures, identities or loss experience? Whatever it is, connect you with those people in a space that’s safe, accessible, personal, and maybe even…fun? Ya we said it. Grief support can be fun.

The ability to pick your own path.

We know that your grief is just that, yours. So, we offer three different programs so that you can mix-and-match, with our heart-forward community experience team ready to offer support and help navigate you to what would feel most healing. Start a community based on how, where, and over what shared experience you’d like to connect by becoming a Host, join other small groups through exploring open seats around Tables, or get hand-matched with a 1:1 Buddy.

The peer-to-peer promise.

Our goal is to ensure that when you’re with your Table or Buddy you don’t have to explain the complicated hues of this grief-thing to someone making pity-eyes at you, you get to feel that “oh my god, me too” feeling, and that you can just be with others who get it.

How The Dinner Party Works

Curious how this thing works?
Check out our illustrated guide below, or read through our FAQ’s.

1.

You join the club nobody wants to join

You lose someone significant in your life: a parent, sibling, partner, child, or close friend, whether 3 months ago, 3 years ago, or 3 decades ago.

2.

You feel a little bit like an alien

It’s harder to connect with family or friends. You feel isolated, alone, unsure of how to move forward with your life.

3.

You find out about The Dinner Party

You think “What! This exists?!” and decide how you want to participate. You can sign up for Buddy System, checkout our available Tables, or start one of your own if none strike your fancy. Perhaps you want to just stay in touch, hear about events, and special storytelling projects? You can sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

4.

You select a table to join, or get matched to a buddy.

Let’s say you choose to join a table after browsing all of the Host bios. You read about someone who resonates with you, or someone who is hosting an affinity table that speaks to your experience (i.e. LGBTQ+, suicide loss,) or maybe they sound like they could be a homie, and you join their table. Your Host emails you within a few weeks with information about the next dinner. If you chose the buddy system route, a member of our team hand matches you with a buddy, introducing you two over email with instructions, so you can be off to the races.

5.

You have your first dinner or hang with your Buddy.

You probably experience first-dinner nerves, but we all do. You find a private spot where you can get comfortable, and you log-in to Zoom. You’ll find yourself in a “room” with other people around your age who have also experienced significant loss. Back in the golden days of 2019, dinners would be in person over potluck meals - so feel free to bring a beverage or snack, but no pressure on that front. Once everyone gets settled in, your Host will start the conversation, you’ll introduce yourself , share what brings you to the table, and where you’re at with your loss right now. The conversation will flow and you’ll listen while others do the same.

6.

You keep coming back, and realize, because of your heartache, you can also create amazing friendships and forward motion in your life.

The Dinner Party is not about one-off dinners. It’s about building community and connection over time. Your Table or Buddy and you ideally meet every couple weeks or so and you’ll start getting to know more about your fellow Dinner Partiers beyond just their story of loss. You feel less alone and have new friends who you can share all parts of your story with — even the parts that rarely see the light of day.