Upper Canada District School Board Hosts Truth and Reconciliation Commission + 1 Gatherings

(Brockville) – Last week, the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) hosted two special First Nations, Métis and Inuit gatherings on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territories.

The two gatherings entitled Truth and Reconciliation Commission + 1 (TRC+1): A Gathering for Reflection and Renewal, were held Monday, May 9 and Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at Naismith Memorial Public School in Almonte, and Wednesday, May 11 and Thursday, May 12, 2016 at Rothwell-Osnabruck School in Ingleside.

In total, nine hundred students, along with a number of local dignitaries, participated in events spread over four days.

"The TRC report has provided us with opportunities to discuss Reconciliation," said Susan Edwards, UCDSB Superintendent of School. "These gatherings are opportunities for learning, openness, and conversations."

It is the UCDSB's mission - and its commitment to its communities - to prepare all students for a successful life. We understand that delivering on this mission includes preparing our students to successfully engage in respectful relations with others and to be prepared to fully engage in reconciliation as envisioned by the TRC.

In addition to the steps that we are taking to focus on teaching and learning that further contributes to building respectful relationships, we hosted this annual gathering so we are able to "take stock" of our movements forward in this commitment.

The first day of each gathering was for Grades 5 and 6 students from their respective school families. First Nations, Métis and Inuit Knowledge Keepers and Elders engaged with youth throughout the day in workshops which were held in tents set up on the respective sites.

Day two activities included: student-focused learning sessions with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Elders and community members; facilitated conversations on what "Reconciliation" means with senior board officials, members of FNMI communities, FNMI student leaders, and the creation and planting of a heart garden.