Support J's Journey to Become a Death Doula

My name is J, I am a trans nonbinary person with indigenous ancestry tied to Central American lands. My parents migrated to the US, thus I was born in Los Angeles and raised all over South Central Los Angeles. I am a parent of two beautiful nonbinary children.I am raising funds to attend a 5 day training to become a death doula.

I’m seeking this training to learn more about death work and potentially a professional endeavor. My experience with multiple deaths early on in life and a parental death allowed me to witness people in their most vulnerable moments. But I felt like something was missing....I kept thinking about burial rites and how we didnt have any, or lost them due to migration or colonization, and the cultural differences regarding death.

I feel called to deathwork as a person who wants to commit to stewarding folks as they transition and most importantly helping the families that they leave behind.

However, financing this training seems daunting as I’ve experienced financial hardships. As a trans non-binary person it is difficult to secure a job. When seeking employment I am often faced by interviewers who are uncomfortable with my nonbinary and gender non conforming presentation, and am not called back with job offers. Additionally, it has been difficult to find full-time employment that provides flexibility to care for my children and childcare has proven difficult to access because of cost.

I am seeking the support of my community as I explore a new path in my journey that will bring about spiritual healing and the opportunity to gain some financial stability while helping individuals who are passing and their grieving families.

Thank you for your support!