Youth Reconciliation Leadership Forum

CR_NEWLOGO-e1408719358616
CANADIAN ROOTS EXCHANGE

March 5-7, 2015

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA

A youth to youth interactive forum exploring how to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in Canada. Hosted with Children of the Earth High School in Winnipeg, approximately 300 youth from across the country are anticipated to take part. The target age is for youth between the ages of 15 and 29.

For more information about registration, or presentation opportunities, go to http://canadianroots.ca/national-conference

Cree Knowledge Keeper, Storyteller, Musician, and Artist Residency at University of Regina

Joseph Naytowhow

Joseph Naytowhow, Cree knowledge keeper, storyteller, musician, and artist will be doing a residency at the University of Regina with the Elementary Program as part of PLACE. He will be at the U of R from January 26 to February 6 and will be located in ED 221.5.  Joseph is knowledgeable with treaty, oral history, storytelling, protocol and much more. He is at the U of R to work with faculty, sessionals and students in the third year of the elementary program.

2015 Woodrow Lloyd Lecture: Reconciliation

2015-WLL-SLIDE_Final
Reconciliation: The Children’s Version

Presenter: Dr. Cindy Blackstock, Associate Professor, University of Alberta and Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada

Wednesday, January 21, 2015
7:00 p.m. Education Building, Rm 106.1
University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK

There is a growing conversation about reconciliation in Canada and addressing contemporary inequalities and injustices facing First Nations children is a vital part of the conversation. Dr. Cindy Blackstock will examine how children and young people are working with First Nations to achieve equity and to uplift the country at the same time.

Refreshments follow the lecture. All are welcome.

For more information: http://www.uregina.ca/arts/public-lectures/lloyd-lecture.html

Witness Blanket at the University of Regina

141006_2a94t_rci-witenessblanket_sn635

The Witness Blanket installation is now at the University of Regina campus (January and February). Instructors are invited to include topics of residential schooling in this winter’s courses. Please bring your students to view the display on the main floor of the RIC Atrium (between College West and the Laboratory Building). For additional information, view information below.

Witness Blanket
The Witness Blanket is recognized as a national monument that highlights the atrocities of the Indian residential school era. The installation honours the children’s’ lives and their legacies that were lost and untold within history. This profound installation has 887 pieces of artifacts that have been reclaimed from various abandoned residential schools, government buildings, churches, band offices, treatment centres, universities and ceremonial objects from across Canada. The artist, Carey Newman, states, “To bear witness is to show by your existence that something is true”. As a witness, you have the opportunity to become a part of the untold stories and to take part in reshaping the history of the Residential School Era.

The Witness Blanket will be showcased at the University of Regina in the months of January and February 2015. The installation is unsupervised and stands alone on the first floor of the Research and Innovation Centre (RIC). For further information about the project and artist, please see the following links below:

To create a foundation of knowledge for the residential school era, a suggested resource is the movie “We Were Children,” which gives first-hand account of personal experiences survivors endured while attending residential schools. Another resource is an episode of 8Th Fire called “Sacred Heart Residential School,” depicting the personal impacts of the disconnection children experienced from their communities and the hardships faced while in residential school. To view these videos and for further information, please see the following websites:

We Were Children by Tim Wolochatiuk, National Film Board of Canada

To further the opportunity for learning and discussion about the experiences of the residential school era, I invite you to have an open discussion about student perceptions and reactions to the installation. Here are some questions for debriefing:

  • What knowledge did you have prior to viewing the Witness Blanket?
  • What did you learn from the installation?
  • What resonated with you the most?
  • How do you plan on facilitating the conversation about residential schools and the experiences of the children that attended?