Austin Roy can liven up any talk of death. An English teacher at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge, he is adamant that high schools should prepare students not only for college, but life itself. And what is more intertwined with life than death? “I always say that death is something that all of us are going to face and it is going to be one of the most emotional and complex things that we ever address,” Roy said.
“And so wouldn’t it be helpful if we learned about it in a non-emotional educational setting first? Just like sex education and drug education. Now, these are things that we want people to have under their belt so that when they go out into the real world, they feel confident in the choices they make.” Roy is one of more than 25 speakers, including doctors, caregivers and activists, who will dig into topics surround death and end-of-life care at the End Well Forum on Friday, Nov.
22, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. End Well is a nonprofit working to make end-of-life part of life, said Emmy-nominated actress Yvette Nicole Brown, who will host the conference. “The End Well Forum is truly a one-of-a-kind event bringing together some of the most passionate, inspirational individuals to have crucial conversations we all need to face about life’s inevitable journey,” Brown said.
“To find a home to share the grief of losing my mother to leukemia is so meaningful and to be able to return to this phenomenal group of spea.
