On September 30th, Canadians wore orange shirts as a way to acknowledge the history of residential schools in Canada, and show their commitment to the goals of Truth and Reconciliation. In addition to having the opportunity to wear orange, Crestwood Preparatory College students also had a “virtual assembly” where they viewed a program created by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This program can be viewed here.
While this year marked the first year that Canada observed September 30th as a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Crestwood has been teaching students about this topic for many years. In 2016 and 2019, Crestwood hosted students from multiple CIS schools for full-day events devoted to the topic of reconciliation, with dozens of indigenous speakers brought into the school to share their experiences and insights with Crestwood students.
Crestwood’s Oral History Project has also had the opportunity to record and archive interviews with residential school survivors, as well as indigenous artists and leaders. These interviews can be viewed on the Crestwood Oral History Project archives.
Reconciliation is a goal that requires more than symbolic action, and it is a goal that cannot be accomplished in a day. Crestwood is very happy to have a long-established relationship with Native Child and Family Services of Toronto. We are happy to maintain this relationship, and all grub day money raised on September 30th will go towards helping them provide important services to the indigenous children and families in Toronto.
Links included:
Every Child Matters video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFTHHtRy8Do&ab_channel=NationalCentreforTruthandReconciliation
Oral History Project Archives:
https://ohp.crestwood.on.ca/ohp-type/first-nations/
