Michael Bernards, Native Studies teacher at Lester B. Pearson, has now brought Project of Heart into his classroom the third year running. After studying and learning about the Residential School system in Canada, his students were eager to commemorate the lives affected and lost, and also wanted to speak out about the injustices that Aboriginals suffered, and continue to struggle with, today.

As their Social Justice Action, the students attended a workshop at the Odawa Native Friendship Centre organized by the Native Women’s Association of Canada. At the workshop, the students learned of the issue surrounding the deaths and disappearances of over 580 Aboriginal Women and Girls since 2000. They then made Faceless Dolls to commemorate those women and girls. http://www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/other/2012/04/16/faceless-dolls-project-gives-voice-to-missing-and-murdered-aborginal-women/

The students followed up that workshop by writing letters to the Federal Government encouraging that greater action be taken to address this on-going issue. The students recently received replies from the various MPs that they wrote to, and although disappointed with the form-letter style of the replies, the students were satisfied that their letters were received and acknowledged.

Thank you to the students of Lester B. Pearson!