“What do you want to do before you die?”

The “Before I Die” global art project is coming to the University of Victoria on October 30, 31, and November 1 at the SUB. A life-size chalk wall invites UVIC’s community to contemplate death and reflect on what matters in life. Participants look upon a chalk wall that asks them to complete the open-ended sentence: “Before I die, I want to…” There are currently over 5,000 walls around the world and now, Deathly Matters, the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, and UVIC Nursing are bringing this engaging and thought-provoking community project right to our backyard. As the founder of the “Before I Die” wall, Candy Chang, says:

“It’s about knowing you’re not alone; it’s about understanding our neighbours in new and enlightening ways; it’s about making space for reflection and contemplation, and remembering what really matters most to us as we grow and change.”

We invite and encourage all members of the UVIC community to stop by the wall, write your own statement, and see what others want to do before they die. Take a photo and upload to twitter with the #BeforeIDie hashtag.

This project is part of a Vancouver Foundation funded project (PI, Dr. Kelli Stajduhar) to bring awareness of death & dying to the broader Victoria community. The project team includes PhD students Erin Donald (UVic Nursing) and Ashley Mollison (UVic Social Dimensions of Health), practicum students Kara Whitlock (MSW Program, University of Waterloo), Sydney Hofmeyr and Rowen Harris (BSN Program, UVic Nursing), and community partner, Linda Hunter (Deathly Matters). For information on this and related projects, please visit our website. Read the full story by Candy Chang about how the “Before I Die” wall came to be and watch Candy’s Ted Talk.

To get connected to the movement in Victoria, check out Deathly Matters. Deathly Matters is a one-day community conference that brings together people and services to share resources, learn, and connect about death and dying. Deathly Matters showcases emerging voices and perspectives not readily found within mainstream dialogue. The next conference will take place Saturday, May 23, 2020.