In honour of Aboriginal Day on June 21, 2015 and the Truth and Reconciliation Ceremony which took place on June 5, 2015 Shelby Croft’s grade four class from Langley, BC decorated hearts to put in the school’s garden. The hearts were decorated in memory of those who were affected by Indian residential schools.

The students had participated in several weeks of cultural lessons which ended with the history of residential schools. The students were very shocked and angry learning what happened to the students who attended those schools. It gave a brief glimpse into the lives of others. Some of the hearts were then sent off to Ontario for the Truth and Reconciliation closing ceremony to be placed along with 1000 heart flowers from across the country.

After learning about the legacy of Indian Residential Schools through a presentation by Cecelia Reekie, one of Langley’s Cultural Presenters, the Grade 6 classes at Yorkson have made hearts out of seed paper to send with Cecelia for her trip to the Truth and Reconciliation Closing Ceremony in Ottawa. The hearts are made out of paper embellished with wild flower seeds. The message they’d like to send is that the survivors receiving the hearts can plant the wild flowers and watch them grow in hopes of healing their hearts. The students and teachers are sending their love and hope for all of the survivors of residential schools. The students were very touched by Cecelia’s story.

As a legacy to the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada, former students of Indian Residential Schools and their families, the TRC, the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, KAIROS and Project of Heart invite children and youth across the country to create a Heart Garden.

http://www.fncaringsociety.com/honouring-memories-planting-dreams

Melissa Hyland, Lorelei Williams and Cecelia Reekie (second, third and fourth from right) presented at the Kwantlen Cultural Centre to commemorate International Women’s Day.   Organized by Langley teachers,  this event celebrated Aboriginal Women and brought awareness to Canada’s missing/murdered women.

BCTF members as well as support staff from many districts participated in the Stolen Lives Conference to bring to light the many forms of domestic human trafficking. The opening welcome by Kwantlen  Elder Lekeyten set the stage for the many informative presentations by Melissa Hyland, Charlene Bearhead, and Victor Porter.  The day ended with a healing ceremony which included participants creating witness pieces for survivors at the Truth and Reconciliation  closing ceremony  and in support of a new initiative of Project of Heart, Justice for Indigenous Women.