1. Origins
1.1. Founded in 1983 by Suzy Yehl Marta
1.2. First Canadian sites were trained and designated in 1987
1.3. Founded in Canada by Thelma Cockburn
2. How it works
2.1. Curriculum is set for each program. The curriculum consists journals, activities, games, and stories
2.2. Addresses the topics of self, Family, Belonging, Fears, as well as more.
3. Where is it located?
3.1. Rainbow programs have been placed into schools, places of worship, hospitals, hospices, day care centers. military family resource centres and social service agencies in local communities across Canada.
4. Vision and Mission
4.1. Mission: Assist participants sort through their pain and confusion, build self-esteem and learn positive coping strategies to deal with their loss.
4.2. Offers a peer support programs for children, teens and adults who have experienced a separation, divorce, death or other painful transition within their family.
5. Programs
5.1. Sunbeams: Children who are 3 - 5
5.1.1. Children have an opportunity to grieve the loss in their family and develop appropriate coping skills for life. The process involves weekly meetings with a trained Facilitator in small groups of no more than five children.
5.2. Rainbows: Senior Kindergarten - Grade 8
5.2.1. Elementary-aged children speak about their feelings and share their grief in a safe environment in small group settings. The groups are led by trained facilitators utilizing age-appropriate materials.
5.3. Spectrum: Adolescence (Grade 9-12)
5.3.1. Teens share feelings and thoughts about their loss with others their own age who are experiencing similar life changing events.
5.4. Kaleidoscope: College to Adults
5.4.1. This program is for college age young adults relating to, recent or childhood loss.
5.5. Prism: Single Parent and step-parents
5.5.1. Curriculum designed for single parents and step-parents to help work through their own grief, help their children through grief, and rebuild the family unit.
5.6. Silver Linings: Community Crisis Response
5.6.1. Community crisis response program for youth, kindergarten – adolescents, which provides emotional strength when their lives are changing due to outside influences.
6. Structure
6.1. Consists of 12 weekly meetings and 2 celebrate me days
6.1.1. Meetings are 30 – 120 minutes keyed to the age group of the participants.