TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION OF CANADA EVENT: MARCH 27-30, 2014

Posted by Tony Zeglen 
on Dec 31, 2013
 
From Youth Services Director Randy Hetherington:
 
Any Rotarian in our Club with an interest in being a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada event (described in detail under read more), should contact me here as soon as possible.
 
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) comes out of the Indian Residential Settlement Agreement (2007) and this is their mandate:
 
There is an emerging and compelling desire to put the events of the past behind us so that we can work towards a stronger and healthier future. The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and comprehensive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing. This is a profound commitment to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future. The truth of our common experiences will help set our spirits free and pave the way to reconciliation.
 
A component of the TRC outcomes is the "National Events" that have been held in each province and region.  To date there have been TRC National Events in Inuvik (Northern Region), Winnipeg (Manitoba), Montreal (Quebec), Saskatoon (Saskatchewan), Halifax (Atlantic) and Vancouver (BC).  The final TRC National Event is scheduled to take place in Edmonton from March 27 to 30, 2014 as the 'TRC Alberta National Event'.
 
At each of the National Events in Halifax, Saskatoon, Montreal and Vancouver the TRC has hosted an Education Day/Learning Day to bring school aged students and their teachers to the event to ensure that the young people of Canada are exposed to the truths of this significant aspect of Canada's history and to bring forth opportunities for reconciliation.  The overall goals of Education Day are to:
  • educate teachers on the history and legacy of IRS and to offer professional development to support more effective teaching practices on this subject moving forward
  • educate students on the true history of the Indian Residential School experience in Canada, on the strengths and resiliency of the Aboriginal people of Canada and on the meaning and practice of reconciliation
  • to offer opportunities for youth to engage in reconciliation and social justice actions.
The following is a link to the video produced by the TRC following the Education Day in Vancouver on September 19, 2013.  It gives a very clear sense of what Education Day means for students during these events:  http://vimeo.com/75812900
 
For all previous events the TRC has coordinated the Education Day with a team of National Education Partners:  Native Counselling Services of Alberta (NCSA) being one of the partners.  For the Alberta National Event the TRC has engaged NCSA to coordinate the Education Day. 
 
The maximum capacity of students for the Education Day in Alberta is 2000 total and is open to students from grades 4-12.