On the Nationwide Day of Reality and Reconciliation, contributors at Algonquin Faculty in Pembroke took half within the KAIROS blanket train.
It is an immersive, interactive expertise that educates contributors on the historical past and tradition of Indigenous individuals in Canada, in addition to the lack of their land and life.
“It takes you thru the complete Indigenous historical past in a few hours,” says Aimee Bailey, a spokesperson on the Circle of Turtle Lodge in Pembroke, who helped lead the blanket train Friday.
“We’re getting the individuals to step into our moccasins, because it had been. So step into our footwear, expertise it from our perspective.”
All through the train, blankets laid out on the ground to characterize Indigenous lands are stripped away, mimicking the lack of land to settlers.
Individuals standing on the blankets are additionally pushed out of the train one after the other, representing the lack of life to violence, illness, and residential faculties.
“It provides individuals a sense, it provides individuals an expertise of that historical past that can actually assist it sink in,” says Bailey. “So it is very eye opening.”
The expertise is an emotionally charged one for individuals who participate.
“I realized quite a bit however I simply really feel – I do not even know the best way to put it into phrases – about how harmful individuals and Europeans actually have been to Indigenous individuals,” Darlene Pashak stated.
“What I really knew was a drop within the bucket in comparison with even simply the couple of hours that we have been within the workshop in the present day.”
The workshop additionally presents alternatives to those that didn’t have the possibility to find out about Indigenous historical past in prior education.
“This wasn’t all the time taught in faculties and it is not talked about sufficient,” Katelyn Mick, a second-year pupil at Algonquin, instructed CTV Information.
“My largest take away is that we’re solely initially of reconciling with the Indigenous neighborhood,” she added.
Curriculums are being adjusted in elementary and secondary faculties following the implementation of an official day for fact and reconciliation. Nevertheless, the school in Pembroke say they’re working to create studying alternatives.
“Elective (studying) is definitely one possibility, however we’re actively in search of methods to include Indigenous learnings into our curriculum,” stated Sarah Corridor, Dean of Algonquin Faculty’s Pembroke campus.
“I feel we’re making progress,” says Norma Bailey, president of the Circle of Turtle Lodge, on training following the announcement of an official day on Sept. 30.
“There’s going to be extra intermingling with Indigenous and different communities as a result of persons are starting to grasp,” Bailey provides.
The Circle of Turtle Lodge say they’re a registered charity, and counsel that these searching for methods to contribute to reconciliation can donate to the lodge to afford its volunteers the flexibility to proceed public workshops and Indigenous training.
