Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Last Rite in the community . . .

In May and June The Last Rite was featured at a number of different events. Palcare Network (http://www.palcarenetwork.org/) organized a Lunch n' Learn for Newmarket's healthcare community, and The Durham Hospice (http://www.durhamhospice.com/) showcased the documentary at their Annual General Meeting.  Mount Royal University (http://www.mtroyal.ca/) in Calgary shared The Last Rite with their students in a graduate program.  It seems that no matter the place or the event, the documentary generates a great deal of discussion, and that is always a good thing.

1 comment :

  1. Hi Gina: I wanted to let you know the feedback from the students in the Funeral Director & Embalmer Extension Certificate program through the Centre for Funeral Service Education and Mount Royal University. I was delighted to show "The Last Rite" to the students as part of the Psychology of Death and Dying course.

    The students really liked your film. When I asked if they would recommend it to others, they said "definitely". Then I asked who they think should see it. The first response was "everyone". They thought it should be shown in all psychology classes, and would be good for other classes including religion, sociology, social work, and history.

    When I asked for more specific comments:
    - They felt it was very helpful to their career as Funeral Directors because it gave helpful information about the different cultures.
    - They liked that you showed the different places of worship.
    - You spoke with real people, rather than actors.
    - Your story and reason for creating this film was inspiring. It showed how one person can use their own experience to help others.
    - They thought they would want their families and friends to see it too.
    - They liked that the information was put in a non-threatening way and that it provided complex information in an understandable format.
    - It dealt with a sensitive topic in a compassionate manner and normalized people's curiosity about different perspectives and beliefs about death.

    All in all, it was a highlight of the course and I will continue to use it. I am grateful to be able to bring this great resource to the program as the sudents will benefit personally and professionally from seeing it.
    Regards,
    Janet Arnold MSc, RSW
    Calgary, AB

    ReplyDelete