Reflections on Truth and Reconciliation at York Region CAS

For the third year in a row, I have helped open our learning on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.?

This means that I take out my medicine bundle, share a bit about myself (sometimes a lot about myself), and I smudge.?? It means opening a part of myself with others and sharing parts of my story, my father’s story, his father’s story.? It means creating an opportunity for my non-Indigenous peers to hear about some of my experiences, to listen to the voices of survivors and their families and then to encourage them to do the “Reconciliation”.??

The experience for me was emotional and physically draining.?

Some might wonder why I would put myself out there.? Well, you see for me, it is a responsibility.? It is a responsibility to share parts of my story because if we are going to change the way in which we work with Indigenous children, their families and their communities - non-Indigenous people need to listen.? Non-Indigenous people need to listen to First Nation, Inuit and Metis people speak.? The space for that change is happening now and I have a responsibility to work alongside my non-Indigenous partners to bring about social change.?

I take the request to open the learning seriously to honour my father and all survivors, to honour the adult children of survivors and to honor the grand-children and great-grand-children of those survivors.??

There is still much healing to be done, personally and collectively.?

????