Indigenous Elders, Indian Residential School Survivors, Metis Fiddlers and First Nations and Inuit Singers and Drummers — they were all part of the program at Ottawa’s Immaculata High School Aboriginal Student Conference, organized by Immaculata teacher Debbie Tracy and the Learning Partner for Aboriginal Education for the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Carolyn Brambles.

Participants from Project of Heart, Kairos, and the Legacy of Hope Foundation joined Aboriginal knowledge-holders to conduct workshops on topics ranging from the Indian Residential Schools, 500 years of colonization, Aboriginal cultural traditions, and how to actively participate in all the singing, the dancing, and the drumming!

Project of Heart participants decorated tiles in memory of the students who lost their lives as a result of attending St. Phillip’s Indian Residential School on Fort George Island, James Bay.  Particularly poignant was the fact that IRS survivor Chris Herodier Snowboy, who addressed the grade 7 and 8 students at the conference, actually attended St. Phillip’s IRS and attested to the crimes committed against the children first hand.

Social activism to address Canada’s contemporary acts of colonization were the order of the day. Petitions to the Federal Government circulated, urging Canada to implement the UN Declaration defending Indigenous Rights. Students watched in amazement as  the Shannen’s Dream video graphically told the story of one young woman’s heroic struggle to bring to light the consequences of Federal underfunding of the education of First Nations children.

On May 4th, Project of Heart was invited to attend a joint effort by the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board to the 4th annual Aboriginal Symposium aptly called “Spirit Calling Us to Share”, at the Education Centre in Whitby Ontario.

The morning keynote was provided by author David Bouchard, author of The Drum Calls Softly, I am Raven, The Song Within My Heart, The Great Race, and Voices from the Wild. Many of the workshops focused on resource kits developed this year by teachers, that support the infusion of Aboriginal Education in the classroom in all divisions.

Of special note for the morning’s activities, was a workshop by local Port Perry teacher, Nancy Hamer-Strahl titled “The 10 most significant Crossroads in Aboriginal History”. The Aboriginal resource kit Hamer-Strahl developed is based on Jan Beaver’s book of the same name, and includes a variety of activities, assessment pieces, slide shows, and media links. Teachers were alive with excitement as Nancy lead them through fun-filled, action-packed exercises, sure not to be forgotten.

In the afternoon, Project of Heart was highlighted as one of the workshop choices, led by Lakota Elder, author, and Indian Residential School survivor, Cliff Standingready and Shelley Diamond, teacher from G.L. Roberts in Oshawa. This formidable duo teamed up to bring greater awareness of the IRS to teachers and the importance of educating students about one of the blackest eras of Canadian history. Shelley and Cliff strongly advocated for teachers to bring their students into the Truth and Reconciliation process through participating in Project of Heart. Workshop participants interacted with others through hands-on decorating of small wooden tiles, each indicative of a life lost due to the IRS experience while Cliff honoured the spirits of those who never returned to their families through a smudging ceremony after the tiles were completed.

The symposium wrapped up with the first of the closing speakers for this event, Metis Elder, author, and birch bark canoe-maker, Marcel Labelle, who spoke of the importance of culture. Maintaining a strong connection to land was evident as the knowledge canoe Marcel made by hand, graced the conference room. Cliff Standingready closed the event with appeals to the teachers to be courageous enough to teach the truth about Canadian history. His message of healing through the Truth and Reconciliation process, and the actions that concerned Canadians can involve themselves in, was given priority in his talk.

Memories of the noon-time dancers/singers and the all-day vendors, so ready to arm teachers with books and beautiful items for sale, will surely bring teachers back for next year’s symposium. We’re booking in advance!

Click on image to see photos from the event

On Saturday, March 5, the University of Ottawa’s Winter Institute — “Practical Tools and Resources for Change” — once again provided teacher candidates with practical resources to integrate themes of peace, justice, human rights, environmental sustainability, and international development.

Project of Heart teamed up with March for Justice to raise awareness of human rights in both Canada and India. Common themes were explored, and pre-service teachers were provided with ideas and tools for how to get their classrooms involved. The importance of “heart and spirit” were explored, as students decorated hand-made cotton flags that will be taken to India and carried across the country.

Linking international land-rights issues in India, with land-rights issues in Canada brought the relationship one step closer to home. Thank you Kathrin and March for Justice for partnering with Project of Heart in a common pursuit of meaningful reconciliation.

Project of Heart went back to school for the Fall Institute held at the University of Ottawa in early October. This year the Institute’s theme was “Developing a Global Perspective for Educators“; the goal was to equip Faculty of Education teacher-candidates with tools to integrate human rights and social justice issues into the curriculum.

POH teamed up with Sustainable Lights for Learning and March for Justice to deliver a workshop called “Visual Arts: Drawing Together Global Citizens”. Thirty students gathered to listen, learn, and DO, as they discovered the similarities between the struggles of Indigenous people resisting colonization in Canada with those in northern Uganda and India as they too fight the globalization trend.

Students learned about Canada’s past genocidal attempts at assimilation via the Indian Residential Schools, and acted on their citizenship responsibilities by signing petitions urging our governing authorities to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As well, participants signed Amnesty International’s petition calling on the government of Canada to address the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women.

The Ottawa U teacher-candidates weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, in fact, as part of a “Footsteps for Change” activity, they stenciled footprints on hand-woven Indian cotton to create banners that will be flown in 2012 as March for Justice supports the Gandhian movement for land rights through Ekta Parishad in India. For more information about Footsteps for Change, contact footstepsforchange@gmail.com.

Project of Heart coordinator Sylvia Smith and colleague Warren McBride provided an “in-service” to 8 Catholic School Board teachers.Organized by Jane Wharton, Intermediate/Secondary Creative Arts and Native Studies Consultant with the OCSB,  the workshop was held at the Odawa Native Friendship Centre.

During the 2 hour workshop the teachers learned how to incorporate aspects of Canadian history into a learning module which would provide agency and action in the path towards reconciliation.

As their choice of an Indian Residential School to commemorate, the group decided to team up with Frederick Banting Alternative School and commemorate the Spanish IRS in southern Ontario.

Vince Kicknosway from Odawa concluded the workshop with a ceremonial smudging.

Click on the image to see a slide show from workshop.

Led by POH co-founder Louise Madaire, the group met to do some research and find out a little of the Unitied Church’s complicity in carrying out the government’s “genetic engineering” project.  A map of the IRSs across the country show which denominations and which locations the schools resided.  Participants then met on a second evening to decorate the tiles and decide on a social justice issue to confront head-on. Click on the image to see the photo set from the two evenings.

As part of Aboriginal Awareness Week, Project of Heart held a workshop for employees at Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada (IRSRC) and representatives from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Embracing the POH initiative, participants had positive comments on the workshop experience: “I learned that Canadians do care about history and how it informs the present” and “it would be great to see this in my son’s school” were typical of the responses the demonstration elicited.

“When they started Residential Schools, everything was different. They lost a lot of hope. When our people went to Residential Schools, they were physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually abused by clergy and school staff. Today, many of the Residential School survivors have been drinking a lot. They still cannot stop the pain from the past.” Myrna F

“Indian Residential Schools made our people suffer just because they believed in something else…I say this because the IRS have caused Aboriginal people so much pain, because they were different from others and believed in another culture. Many people still suffer today as we speak. I thought that the ‘Project of Heart’ was very interesting. I thought that it was a very amazing thing to do for Aboriginal children who died in the past because of the Indian Residential Schools. This project must have inspired and taught people many things. People must have put their lives into their drawings. It touched me in so many ways, but I also thought to myself, ‘Why don’t they expand this project? Let other schools all over the world try it out, just so that we can prove to the Residential School Survivors that someone in the world loves them for who they are.’ ” -Joanna C.

“Many people have been affected by the Indian Residential School System. Many of our parents and guardians have gone to Residential Schools in many places. What I have learned about Residential School is that there were many children who were physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually abused. It affected me a lot because my father went to Residential School, but he never got to sit down with me and talk about it. I figured that he’s still kepping a secret from his experience of how he was treated. I have done something good for my father and it is called ‘Project of Heart’. It’s about painting tiles for the Residential School Survivors and I made six tiles and it has meanings for the people that went there, especially for my dad.” -Cora F.

“My feelings toward Residential Schools are mostly about the impact they had on the students. The Aboriginal students have been physicaly, spiritually, mentally and emotionally affected. They’ve been abused in these ways. The memories are with the students to the day they’ve become Elderly. To this day a possible 50% learn to cope with alcohol. The other 50% may learn to cope with the trauma through using traditional practices.” Farrah B.

“The TILES project was fun and interesting. The Residential School System was obviously not the smartest thing, not the greatest thing that the government has done for Aboriginal peoples. It’s nice to know that non-Aboriginals are putting in the time to read and understand what has happened to our ancestors in these Indian Residential Schools. Project of Heart is a new approach to informing people of a hidden history.” Stephan B.

The topic of Residential Schools is not an easy one to talk about, but it has to be heard. People need to learn about the mental, spiritual, physical and emotional abuse that our people suffered when they were forced to attend these schools.” Chasity H.

I feel that what the European Government and Christian Churches did to Aboriginal people was so wrong.It kills Aboriginal people that they were forced to endure the “Residential School System” in Canada, where in some schools 50% did not survive. Residential School was a place were Aboriginal people could not be themselves, and where other people changed them.Now, Aboriginal people are who they are because of the government and the churches. I loved being a part of “Project of Heart.” All of the painting on the tiles were amazing and paid much respect to those who both died and survived Residential Schools.
-Hailley R.

After we went through the unit on the Residential School System in class, it made me feel sorry for those who attended Residential Schools in Canada. I could not even imagine how much our people went through, it almost made me cry watching videos about Residential Schools and listening to the experiences of a Residential School survivor. It must be tough for them to try to put their lives together again. I wonder how they are dealing with it and all. Still today, survivors are struggling with the pain that they had from these schools and how they were transformed into totally different persons. The tiles project (Project of Heart) was a good idea because it was like saying a prayer from those who attended Residential School because we were thinking about the people that attended residential schools while we were making the tiles.-Katelyn M.

In a heart-warming contrast to the residential school experience evoked by the project, the presentation was followed by a talk by Debra and Kyle, two students from the Urban Aboriginal School in the Ottawa Carleton District School Board. Some of the teachers present were not familiar with this amazing educational success story led by Premier’s Teaching Award for Excellence winner Celina Cada-Matasawagan.