Community for Young Orphans
The Community for Young Orphans project is a digital meeting place for orphans ages 18-35.
The aim of our Facebook community is to provide a home and a virtual space for young orphans who lost one of their parents when they themselves were 18-35 years old.
The community is operated by Sunflowers – the only non-profit organization in Israel that supports orphans and gives them social and emotional support through a unique program.
What happens in this community? You can, and it’s even desirable, to laugh, share, unburden, express pain, remember, and share dreams, while also - growing together.
Why did we gather here? To feel that we understand and are understood, to be there for one another, and mainly for the genuine opportunity to feel a sense of belonging and part of one big community of people like us.
In the future our group will also meet outside the virtual space, in community get-togethers, workshops, support groups, and additional initiatives.
And last but not least - it is important to us that everything written here will remain and stay in our community and in this group. Do not copy or share group members’ posts. Let’s maintain a pleasant shared space.
Questions and Answers
Why join the group?
The group connects between people who are all orphaned, many of them who walk around feeling that “no one understands me” - not my family, not my boss, and even not my uncle or aunt - none of them understand what it really means to lose a parent at a young age. In the community we created you have the opportunity to get to meet people who understand you, but without pitying or judging you. In our community you can unburden and share, you can even laugh. The group aims to be a safe and communal space, where perhaps you will feel a little less alone.
What does the project include?
At this time the project includes a Facebook group in which you can talk about everything, and in the near future we also plan community events. Some of the events will be more social, while others will have a more supportive focus (discourse circles).
What am I allowed to write in the Facebook group?
You can write anything, as long as the content is not harmful to any of the community members and is written respectfully. You can write about the difficult and the sad things, and also about topics that are taboo or that may be very personal.
Why does the group have an age limit of 35 years old?
The first reason is because the social relationships within the community are important to us. We want the members of the community to feel comfortable and to be able to identify with each other, and age plays a role here. The second reason is because we think that the difficulties and challenges characterizing orphanhood at a young age differ from those entailed in the loss of a parent at an older age.
And what if I don’t have Facebook?
In the near future the group will also operate outside the virtual space, through different types of get-togethers which those who are not in the Facebook group will also be able to join. If you don’t have Facebook and want to participate in the group you can join us here »