Education for Reconciliation

"All students, board members, faculty and administrators must become informed about the truth of our relationship in an accredited course and cross-cultural training done by Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig."

Culturally sensitive curriculum is designed by a non-profit that has worked on similar materials on the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide.

The Education Lead for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation on moving from apology to action in Canada's 150th year

British Columbia's education curriculum is undergoing significant change. One of its challenges is a requirement for teachers to infuse Indigenous knowledge and practices into all curriculum subjects. To support teachers in this endeavour, SFU's Faculty of Education is introducing Indigenous Education: Education for Reconciliation, a unique, two-year, part-time, Graduate Diploma in Advanced Professional Studies in Education (GDE). "Education for reconciliation is about intercultural learning, and transforming the systemic contexts in which we raise young people," says education professor Vicki Kelly. "And it's about finding ways to respond to the call to attend to Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations, and what it means to live on this land together."

Here are the 'calls to action' on education and reconciliation from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (numbers are as they appear in the report):

As members of the Joint Commitment to Action in Alberta, the Calgary Regional Consortium (CRC) and the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC), on behalf of Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC), are excited to share with you that we have received a provincial grant to support Albertans working in our school communities in implementing 'Education for Reconciliation'.

Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia

When the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released the 94 calls to action, all the schools in the Winnipeg School Division were sent a copy. Marsha Missyabit, an aboriginal education consultant for the school division, says she wanted teachers to be aware of the calls to action and educate their students about them. "We're looking at a national reconciliation through restoring respectful relationships between all people living here," Missyabit said. Several of the TRC's recommendations call for changes in education, including changes to the curriculum, that would make teaching about residential schools and treaties mandatory for students from kindergarten to Grade 12. "A lot of teachers are coming to us with questions about [residential schools], asking why they were not taught this when they were attending school," Missyabit said, adding she does professional development workshops for teachers in the division about the history of residential schools.

It's time to develop and implement a curriculum on residential schools, treaties, and Aboriginal Peoples' contributions to Canada.

"In the spirit of reconciliation, the Government of Alberta commits that all Alberta students will learn about the history and legacy of residential schools, along with the history of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples of Canada."

Winnipeg students will soon start their day with a reminder that their school sits on treaty land.

The Ribbon Project is the culmination of months of work by 20 teachers and 400 students at Balfour Collegiate. They worked with, and were inspired by, fashion designer Tracey George Heese.