September 30th, National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and all year round
“We have to learn how to talk to, and about, each other, with greater respect than has been the case in the past,” Chancellor Sinclair says. “We may not achieve reconciliation within my lifetime, or within the lifetime of my children, but we will be able to achieve it if we all commit to working towards it properly. Part of that commitment is that every year [on September 30] we will stand up together and we will say never again. What we did in this country was wrong, and we will never allow that to happen again.” Murray Sinclair, Queen’s University Chancellor and former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Today on September 30th the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, please take time to reread the TRC’s Calls to Action. Our public education system has a particularly important role in ensuring the history of colonization and the treatment of Indigenous peoples is taught, and the impact of intergenerational trauma is understood. We all have a duty to ensure that every child is acknowledged, welcomed and supported in our public schools and that, collectively, we work towards reconciliation each and every day of the year.
It is a journey that we are on together and it’s up to us to each of us to deepen our learning. Fortunately, there are many speakers, resources and guides to support us in doing so. We’ve included just a few of them below and hope that you’ll share others that you’ve relied on. We are deeply grateful for the wisdom and generosity of all those who have created and contributed to the resources and made them so readily available.
On September 30th and all year round, IPE/BC commits to truth and reconciliation.
8 ways to engage in truth and reconciliation
Decolonizing and Indigenizing Public Education
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Teaching Resources (for children, youth and adults).
Beyond September 30th: Doing the Work
Project of Heart Resource Page
First Peoples: Principles of Learning
Truth and Reconciliation and Residential School Resources
Decolonizing Dialogues; The auto-pedagogical of encounters with Indigenous Art
Caroline Roberts’ Lesson Plans
“Together, Canadians must do more than just talk about reconciliation; we must learn how to practise reconciliation in our everyday lives—within ourselves and our families, and in our communities, governments, places of worship, schools, and workplaces. To do so constructively, Canadians must remain committed to the ongoing work of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships.” Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
