We bid farewell

'Wir nehmen Abschied' (We Say Goodbye) deals with young people in a socio-educational context who have lost a loved one through death. It begins by providing information about the challenging phase of life that is adolescence and the developmental tasks involved. It goes on to explain what grief is and whether the grieving process occurs in stages or whether there are tasks to be accomplished behind the grieving process. Building on this it shows how young people grieve what influences the grieving process and what grief reactions are possible. Culture and religion are also taken into account. In a country with diverse cultures different cultures of mourning are practised. The two largest religions in Austria are examined to illustrate their concepts of death. In addition the effect of the funeral ritual on the bereaved is described. The focus is on how social educators can help and support young people in their grieving process.