St Louis Young Widows and Widowers is for men and women who have lost their spouse and are ready to move forward with their life and live again. This is a social group – there will be no therapy or stages of grief discussions (at least not formally). We just get together to meet and talk with others who ‘get it’. Generally, 'young widow' means someone under 60. The target age range for this group is 20-58, but regardless of age, my hope is you will meet compassionate people who understand some of the difficulties you are facing, and maybe have some fun too. Future activities will include coffee, hikes, museum visits, dinners, bike rides, winery visits etc.
Why young widows and widowers only? While all widows can relate to the grief experienced through the loss of their spouse, younger widows typically have different concerns that are not addressed by the usual widow group. Young widows not only have the pain of grief, but also the loss of a future growing old with their spouse. Many young widows still have young children, and not only find themselves reclassified a widow, but also a single parent. Some have never worked and must now find employment. Most likely the majority of your current friends are couples, and while they may be supportive, you may find you do not feel as comfortable in this social group as a newly single individual. Many younger widows would like to remarry, and entering into the dating world is a whole new challenge. This is not an exhaustive list, but if this sounds like some of your concerns I encourage you to join us and meet some others with similar experiences.
A note about dating...
As a widow or widower we may be single, however, the purpose of YWW is not to be a dating group. While this is a highly individual decision, the majority of our members are either not interested in dating, not ready to date again, or new to dating again and totally freaked out. The majority of our members are just looking to build friendships with other widow/ers, and slowly gain the courage to reenter life again. It would be great if you make a romantic connection through this group, but if your primary goal is to find a date, I recommend you find another group for that. If you do make a connection with someone, proceed with caution (your advances may not be appreciated) - be open, be honest, and ask lots of questions. Don't be offended if someone says no, and also, do not be offended if someone asks you out respectfully. Remember they are most likely new at this too, and trying to figure out the new dating world.
A few requirements to join YWW:
• You must be a young widow or widower.
• You must be ready to get out and live again.
• You must have a clear current photo of you on your profile with your first name.
• You must live in the St. Louis, MO area.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: If you RSVP for an event and cannot attend, please change your RSVP and/or notify the event organizer as soon as possible. No-shows negatively affect everyone: organizers need accurate attendance to make reservations and waitlisted members miss out on events. If you accumulate 3 no-shows, you run the risk of being removed from the group.
