OPEN JIO🤗

💬 Prefer to share anonymously? If you'd prefer to take your time, reflect, and share anonymously, we have opened a Padlet where you can leave your thoughts about grief, loss, living funerals, or anything that came up for you from our polls and discussions. You don't have to put your name, and there's no need to have the “right” words. You can share a thought, question, personal reflection, or simply respond to one of our discussion prompts. 👉 Share your thoughts anonymously on Padlet! Whether you join the tele discussion or prefer to share on Padlet, we would love to hear what you think ✨️

Lastly, when we asked which type of loss feels most relatable right now 68% of you chose changes in your own lives, 45% chose ageing or changing health of loved ones, while 29% chose the death of someone they care about. It reminds us that grief can show up whenever something meaningful changes, ends, cease to exist, even when nobody has died. 💬 If we had a "living funeral" for the things we lose while we are still living, what would you want to acknowledge? And what other losses in life do you think deserve to be acknowledged while we are still experiencing them?

The national survey found that younger adults may be more open to ideas like living funerals than older adults. While we are generally open to the idea of a living funeral, we recognize that openness can look very different from family to family. We are also mindful that our OJ audience are generally younger adults. Do you notice differences in how different generations in your family talk about grief, loss or death? 💬 Why do you think these differences exist or why do you think they don't?

Following up from our polls last week - many of us seem fairly open to the idea of a living funeral! 54% said they would feel comfortable or very comfortable attending one, while 44% said they would feel comfortable or very comfortable holding one for themselves! ☝️ Yet it seems like this openness is not the same as having conversations about grief & loss. When we asked what makes talking about grief & loss difficult, the most common response was "I don't want to burden others" (43%). This got us thinking 🤔 Maybe we can be open to the idea of a living funeral, while still hesitating to initiate conversations about grief & loss because we worry about burdening the people around us. Other common barriers included: • 36% - My family/culture prefers not to talk about this • 33% - I'm afraid people won't understand or will judge • 27% - I'm not sure... it just feels awkward • 26% - I don't know how to start the conversation • 26% - I don't have the language to talk about grief & loss There seems to be a gap between being open to the idea of acknowledging grief & loss and feeling comfortable having these conversations 👀 💬 What do you think makes conversations about grief and loss difficult for yourself or the people around you?

Hello guys! Thank you for feeding our curiosities about living funerals and grief & loss conversations in Singapore 🤩

Common Ground Connecting Narratives for Change (CNFC) Circle One: Third Spaces Need Me & We w/ Joo Chiat Social Club In this year’s CNFC, they are exploring what makes third spaces possible?🤔 Whether you work alongside spaces that bring communities together, a socially-oriented organisation, a practitioner or if you are just curious about different third space models, this Circle is for you👀 In Aug, they bring you to JOO CHIAT SOCIAL CLUB (JCSC). From their heritage shophouse, they run an assisted living facility for seniors alongside a social club that nurtures an intergenerational community🏡 Learn how JCSC practice has let them sustain their care work and social impact over time and what it might mean for yours. 📅 16 Aug 26 (Sunday) 🕒 2.30pm-5pm 📍Joo Chiat Social Club 💵$22 (with discount code), $35 (original price) ❗️🔊OPENJIO Subscriber can use the discount code "JIOEVERYBODY" (click add discount at checkout page) Sign up at: https://ourcommonground.com.sg/cnfc26-circles#aug @openjio @experiencejio

Seasons of…”: A Playback Theatre Performance by Kaya Toast Playback Group and [X] by Kita What does the different seasons mean? Seasons of choosing, letting go, of being and becoming. Seasons of love, of silence, and of waiting, seasons of coming and going, and of being enough✨ Playback Theatre is a form of community theatre where personal stories from the audience are improvised spontaneously on stage🎭 Whether you’re returning or experiencing playback theatre for the first time, we welcome you to come through, bring your stories, or just be present☺️ This performance is open to youths age 18-35 📅 15 Aug 2026 (Saturday) 🕒 7.30pm-9pm 📍 Stamford Arts Centre #02-03 💵 $5 per pax. Proceeds go towards the rental of the space and supporting their performers. Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/kitaplayback15aug @openjio @experiencejio

At the SAME TABLE: 55 Recipes from Singapore's migrants 🥘What are the stories behind Singapore's migrant community? At the Same Table is a collection of receipes and stories shared by migrant and domestic workers, the community whose tireless efforts support us daily and build Singapore through their work🙌🏻 Join them as the chefs share their receipies and stories. Each dish accompanied by heartfelt memories, offering insight into the care of everyday cooking💖 📅 30 Aug 26 (Sunday) 🕒 4pm-6pm 📍 Book Bar, 57 Duxton Road 💵 FOC @openjio @experiencejio

JeoPROUDy VI🥳 Interested to join a queer trivia night and put your knowledge to test?🧐 Pit your wits against their questions, with both queer and non-queer topics: Some of the questions will be about social issues happening in our little red dot, such as LGBTQ knowledge (e.g., film, pop culture),environmental concerns and more!🎉 Come and have a good time! 📅 16 Aug 26 (Sunday) 🕒 7pm-10pm 📍 Proud Spaces (243 Alexandra Road, #05-03 💵 $5 Sign up at: http://tiny.cc/JeoPROUDyVI @openjio @experiencejio

The Shoal Co.’s Seeds of Change workshop: Circular Fashion with Futures Triangle What would it take to make circular fashion the norm in Singapore, rather than the exception? ♻️ Join them for an interactive workshop using future thinking tools to uncover the forces pushing us towards a more circular future, the aspirations pulling us forward, and the barriers holding us back with regards to fashion in Singapore👖 📅 16 Sept 26 (Wed) 🕒 6.30pm-9.30pm 📍 Location: Palo IT, 11 Beach Road #06-00 💵 $30 (Includes Pizza) Sign up at: https://theshoalco.com/seeds-of-change-circular-fashion-x-futures-triangle @openjio @experiencejio

Which type of loss feels most relatable to you right now?

What usually stops you from talking about grief or loss?” (Choose one that feels most true)

If someone you love wanted a living funeral, how confident do you feel about talking to your family about it?

How comfortable would you feel about holding a living funeral for yourself?

How comfortable would you feel attending a living funeral?

Before today, had you heard of the idea of a living funeral?

All of us experience loss in different ways - through the end of relationships, changes in life plans, watching our parents grow older, and eventually, the death of people we love. These experiences shape not only how we grieve, but also how ready (or unready) we are to talk about death itself. Interestingly, a YouGov Singapore survey in 2024 that explored the idea of a living funeral found that attitudes towards end-of-life conversations differ across generations, suggesting that our experiences and life stage may influence how we think and feel about topics such as grief, death, and planning for the future. In lieu of the global National Grief Awareness month, in collaboration with The Life Review, we are using grief and loss as a more relatable, less taboo starting point to explore how our community experiences and talks about these moments. We want to understand what feels difficult, what has been helpful, and what might make conversations about grief, loss, and death feel a little safer. Your responses can be kept anonymous, and we will share key insights from what we learn with the community. 👀✍️ @openjio

(Inter) National Caturday🐱 Celebrate International Cat Day with Cat Welfare Society 🎉 There will be a volunteer meetup at 2pm and a private screening of 9Lives, an antology film at 4.30pm, followed by a short panel session with members of the CWS Board💬 📅 8 Aug 2026, Saturday 🕒 2pm-6pm 📍 FilmHouse 💵 FOC @openjio @experiencejio

MAJU For The People 🚨📣SAVE THE DATE! 2 weeks from now, SG Climate Rally will gather with fellow workers, residents and nature lovers at Hong Lim Park to MAJU (progress) for The People. 🌳 Discuss our land use and who gets to enjoy access to space and nature 🌳 Reflect on our feelings around the loss of our forests and natural spaces 🌳 Reimagine organising Singapore around the sustainability, equitability, and health of our People and Planet 🌳 Demand that decisions on land use are made with full transparency and genuine public involvement 📅 16 Aug 2026, Sunday 🕒 4pm-6pm 📍Hong Lim Park 💵 FOC @openjio @experiencejio

Navigating Climate Emotions: Climate in Therapy Film Screening and Discussion Ever felt overwhelmed, anxious, or numbed when thinking about climate change?🌍 Presented in collaboration with 💡ArtScience Museum, join them for a free screening of 🎥Climate in Therapy (2025), a documentary where seven climate scientists sit together to unpack their own emotions about the crisis they study, followed by a facilitated conversation about navigating climate emotions🧐 📅 15 Aug 2026, Saturday 🕒 3pm to 5.30pm 📍 ArtScience Cinema, Level 4 💵 FOC Sign up at: https://marinabaysands.jotform.com/form/Festival-programmes @openjio @experiencejio