Aboriginal Reconciliation

A School-Based Challenge: Towards Reconciliation

The CLC network calls on all CLCs to serve as sites of positive relationships (i.e. anti-bullying) and reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

School-community partnerships are the essence of CLC philosophy. We understand that progress on broad goals must occur based on strategies that are culturally appropriate and locally relevant. This can only be achieved through effective partnerships with Aboriginal families, communities and organizations.

The blog is now updated with projects that occurred in CLCs in the spring of 2014. While last year CLCs  focused on the Project of Heart and the TRC event in Montreal, this year schools were encouraged to develop their own projects. Ten great projects resulted, reaching 572 students in all, with Aboriginal cultural awareness and history projects. Several involved new relationships between on and off-reseve schools. Each of their stories is included here.

Activities that occurred in CLCs in the 2012-13 school year are remaining on the site. We are extremely proud of all the learning and heartfelt action that occurred. 

St.Willibrord & PETES students meeting at Parliament Hill for Have a Heart Day, 2013. This allowed Mohawk, Cree, Algonquin and non-Aboriginal students of diverse backgrounds to encounter each other in a context of respect,  solidarity and action. Students were thrilled and inspired, and the adults involved were all highly moved.

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CLCs Show They Have a Heart for First Nations Education Equity

Overview of PoH, key activity in 2013 projects:

Over 500 students at 8 CLCs completed Project of Heart. Following the project model, each school completed the key steps, but each did so in very unique ways, reflecting the diversity of school cultures and regional contexts. For example, many of our schools have students who are First Nations, Inuit and Metis, so the reconciliation became extremely direct and personal in some cases.

Key Steps of Project of Heart include:

1.    Curriculum activities to inform students about the history of Indian Residential Schools in Canada. We used the Legacy of Hope Edu-Kit “100 years of loss”. A great first resource!... It’s designed so that even teachers with minimal background knowledge can use the curriculum. We also encouraged teachers to invite Elders or family members of  in to speak.

2.   Painting wooden commemorative tiles as an artistic response to what they learned, and having an Elder & survivor visit to smudge the tiles and add a personal perspective to what they had learned.

3.   Choosing an action to take as a class based on what they’ve learned. Some did assemblies for their school communities, some did twinning projects with on-reserve schools, some wrote letters and walked for education equity.

It was beautiful to watch each school take the project concept and shape it in a way that matched their unique context and goals. Check out the posts on each project using the tag 'Aboriginal' (on your right!).

Special funding was made available to go above and beyond these steps, since the Truth & Reconciliation Testimonial Gathering event was happening in Montreal April 2013. With this funding schools hired Aboriginal artists to create larger art works using the students’ decorated tiles. These art pieces were given as gifts to Aboriginal partner organizations in their communities.

Six schools also made field trips to Montreal for the TRC Education Day, and two participated by Video Conference. The CLCs organized a special showcase event at the Education Day, and commissioned a video by animator Mosha Folger to celebrate all of our students efforts.

LaTuque CLC PoH 

PETES CLC PoH

 Funded by the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (via NDHR),  many CLCs attended the TRC Education Day April 24, 2013 in Montreal to be a part of history in the making.