Learning Through Experience

In February 2023, 10 members of our faculty and staff ventured to Winnipeg, Kenora, and Shoal Lake for an immersive Indigenous Education experience grounded in Truth, Reconciliation, and ReconciliAction. Why there and why then? Winnipeg is home to Canada’s largest Indigenous population and, from an eastwest perspective, is in the centre of the country. As such, it’s where the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has been purposefully placed. The surrounding area also provides many opportunities for broader perspectives and insight. Going in February allowed the team to experience some of the harshness of the region’s winter months and the challenges for remote communities.

Day 1: Kenora, Cecilia Jeffery Indian Residential School Memorial, Iskatewizaagegan Independent

First Nation #39

“This was devastating. The Cecilia Jeffrey Memorial was a multi-layered experience that echoed deep. It was just one site of over 139 residential schools in Canada; one site with lost children, lost stories, lost history, and lost culture; one site where children suffered. It closed the year I was born and the legacy of suffering that was all around me because I grew up near the location. But as a white Canadian, I never knew because I was never directly affected.”

“Connecting and learning with the elementary school and community of Iskatewizaagegan is an example of reconciliaction. Connecting in a humble way with community, exploring the trap lines and embracing new ways of knowing is another step forward.”

Day 2: National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation

“Our visit to the NCTR was of course rooted in truth, but we made commitments there. These commitments were personal, professional, and on behalf of our school. The orange bows with children’s names that never returned from residential schools were our symbolic gesture of continued reconciliation.” (The string of bows gifted to the NCTR was from our Orange Shirt Day project; read more on page 34.)

The itinerary of the trip was as follows, along with some brief reflections from participants.

“While I thought I would leave the NCTR feeling distressed and very heavy-hearted, I was surprisingly inspired. We learned many truths about residential schools, but also that each and every act of learning, sharing, advocacy, and support counts towards reconciliation; nothing is too small.”

Our deepest gratitude to Raquel Teibert, Indigenous Education Coordinator and Upper School Teacher, and Drew Vodrey, Upper School Teacher, for guiding this learning experience with such commitment and heart.

Day 3: Winnipeg Museum, Museum of Human Rights

“The Winnipeg Museum tied together so many of the things we had seen and experienced over the previous few days while introducing so much more context around treaties, history, and culture.”

“Our visit to the Museum of Human Rights was another aspect of reconciliation, learning forgotten perspectives and ways of moving forward. Senator Murray Sinclair stated that education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it.”

Day 5: North End - Setting of The Break by Katherena Vermette

“Our Grade 10s read this book now, and we all did so as well prior to the trip. Seeing the actual place where it is set, brought everything into sharper focus. The contrast between the beautiful, tourist face of Winnipeg and the bleakness of the North End was so evident. The divide is very real and left us all motivated to help find ways to close the gaps created by our systems and societal norms.”

The Impact of Our Learning

Building A Strong Foundation

This is the second time this professional development trip has been offered to Mulgrave faculty and staff. Kathryn Clark, Senior School Teacher and Science Curriculum Coordinator, attended a few years ago and continually makes connections with her learnings.

Day 4: Winnipeg Art Gallery, Festival du Voyageur

“Story-telling through art was a profound way to learn more about Indigenous experiences. Following Robert Houle’s (Saulteaux Anishinaabe, Sandy Bay First Nation) journey from the pain of residential school and memories of abuse through to his incredible work as an advocate for First Nations artistic representation and sovereignty was very impactful.”

“Learning, enjoying, and celebrating Indigenous culture is a form of reconcili-action. The time we had at Festival du Voyageur and celebrating Metis culture shows another way forward with respect.”

“When I think about reconciliation, I think about the team of educators on this trip and the energy they brought back to our school. Their ‘mini missions’ to further our journey with Truth and Reconciliation are true testaments to their commitment to this work. Education can be a force for social change, and educators can be the guiding light for our future generations. As Indigenous Education Coordinator, I am emboldened by the passion of this team and the dedication they bring every day to bettering our school community.”

“Due to this trip and the people on it, I have committed to reconciliation. The connections to the land, people, and stories will forever give me the strength to continue on this journey. I am proud of all that we have done in the JS to educate our children and to take action to build trust amongst Indigenous communities.”

“The trip deepened my ability to feel more confident in my understanding of Indigenous Peoples in Canada; I wasn’t born here, so it accelerated my journey of understanding. I’ve been able to make deep connections such as linking the importance and vulnerability of my first smudging ceremony to a newfound mindfulness of cleansing our thoughts and spaces, and the parallels between colonialism in this country and the impact of missionaries on Indigenous Peoples in Fiji and their ways of knowing and doing (while on a GEx trip with students).”

As we build on the foundation of discovery and commitment from the first team with the second, we build even more momentum within our school community toward authentic and meaningful uncovering of Truth and acts of Reconciliation.