Indigenous Ed HPC - Truth & Reconciliation Week

HPCDSB staff and students are called to ensure that we respect and honour the dignity of all individuals.

Truth and Reconciliation Week acknowledges the harmful impact residential schools had on Indigenous children's sense of self-esteem & well- being. It is also a day to honour all residential school survivors & victims. It is an opportunity to open the door to global conversation on all aspects and effects of residential schools and the legacy they have left behind.

Every HPCDSB school library has new books written by Phyllis Webstab.

About Orange Shirt Day ...

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that took place in Williams Lake, BC, Canada, in May 2013. This project was the vision of Esketemc (Alkali Lake) Chief Fred Robbins, who is a former student himself. It brought together former students and their families from the Secwepemc, Tsilhqot’in, Southern Dakelh and St’at’imc Nations along with the Cariboo Regional District, the Mayors and municipalities, School Districts and civic organizations in the Cariboo Region. The events were designed to commemorate the residential school experience, to witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.

Chief Justice Murray Sinclair challenged all of the participants to keep the reconciliation process alive, and as a result of the realization that every former student had similar stories. Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of this project. As spokesperson for the Reunion group leading up to the events, former student Phyllis (Jack) Webstad told her story of her first day at residential school when her shiny new orange shirt, bought by her grandmother, was taken from her as a six-year old girl.

A day for survivors to be reaffirmed that they matter, and so do those that have been affected. Every Child Matters, even if they are an adult, from now on. The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which children were taken from their homes to residential schools, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year. It is an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

On this day of September 30th, we call upon humanity to listen with open ears to the stories of survivors and their families, and to remember those that didn’t make it.

From http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

Why do we honour this day in HPCDSB?

From the TRC Calls to Action ...

63. We call upon the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada to maintain an annual commitment to Aboriginal education issues, including:

Developing and implementing Kindergarten to Grade Twelve curriculum and learning resources on Aboriginal peoples in Canadian history, and the history and legacy of residential schools.
Sharing information and best practices on teaching curriculum related to residential schools and Aboriginal history.
Building student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect.
Identifying teacher-training needs relating to the above.

child_friendly_calls_to_action_web.pdf

The Canadian Catholic Church Seeks Reconciliation

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops understands that the mandate of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is to shed light on the whole story of the former residential schools through the testimonies of those who lived it. While recognizing there will certainly be challenges in representing all viewpoints in this history, the CCCB hopes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will focus not only on the past, but also on the current situation involving Aboriginal Peoples and non-Aboriginal Peoples. This will be important if the Commission is to bring forward recommendations for building relationships that better respect the human person, contribute to justice and peace, and are constructive for our communities.

From the Catholic Council of Bishops Response to Residential Schools

"Listening circles have provided indigenous peoples, Church leaders and Bishops the opportunity to share experiences and the wounds sustained in the past. The goal is “walking together into the future”, the Archbishop states. Several “future major national initiatives are being planned in collaboration with indigenous to leadership in Canada. And there is a very good sense of walking together with important leaders of indigenous groups in Canada.”

From Vatican News Sept. 26, 2020 - Canadian Bishops' Plenary

Paint with Jeffrey George.pdf

I Lost My Talk .pdf

orange_shirt_day_mathematics_revised__p__j_.pdf

TR Week Update

Resources

Orange Shirt Day

Woodland Cultural Centre

Woodland Cultural Centre - Residential School Museum

Residential Schools

Secondary Interactive Resource

Orange Shirt Day Intermediate Senior

Elementary Interactive Resource

To use this in an online classroom use this link:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTxfy-

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"In this video, I share tips on both talking to kids about Residential Schools, but also how to prepare yourself as the adult to have these conversations. The video is for parents, grandparents, educators...anyone really with children in their lives." Monique Gray Smith

Orange Shirt Day - Jeffrey George

When We Were Alone - Primary/Junior