Students at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Gatineau, Quebec recently participated in Project of Heart, which is an intergeneration, artistic endeavour which commemorates the lives lost due to the IRS System. We made this video to document our experiences and our feelings through out the project-but most of all, to recognize, respect and honour the children and families impacted by Indian Residential schools.

Jeannie Hunter, vocal instructor at Hillcrest High School in Ottawa, enthusiastically embraced Project of Heart and so did her students.  Here is what she had to say:

“This was the first year for vocals at Hillcrest, and I have always felt that it is important to teach context when teaching music, and that music can be an important tool for social justice.  My eureka moment came during Ontario Teachers’ Federations’ Aboriginal Perspectives Institute in July of 2011, when I met the coordinator of Project of Heart as well as Heidi Langille from the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre.  While still covering traditional vocal curriculum (the basics of how to sing and how to read music), I wanted to create an underlying theme in our repertoire.

We began the term by exploring ‘Anthemic Songs’ – songs that have become tools for Social Justice.  We watched Playing for Change and created our own versions of “Waving Flag”, “Stand by Me” and “Lean on Me”.

The beginning of our Project of Heart focus was when we read and listened to David Bouchard’s “The Secret of My Name” and shared the stories of our own names while listening to Metis Music.  Finally, we explored the history and stories of Indian residential schools and their survivors and began working on our tiles.

Often while working on our tiles we would listen to Aboriginal Music from different areas of Canada, and from both traditional and more modern perspectives.  During this time we had Heidi in to teach throat singing, and learned children’s songs in Inuktitut.  Ultimately we created our own arrangement of “Frere Jaques” in Inuk, French and English, beginning with throat singing and ending with beat boxing and rap!  We also created our own arrangement of the Haudenosaunee lullaby “Watane” and again read and listened to David Bouchard’s “An Aboriginal Carol”.  We also kept up a lively discussion of current events as they related both to Canada’s First Nations and to Social Justice in general.

We explored the links between Canada’s treatment of First Nations people and South African Apartheid.  It was eye-opening to learn how Truth and Reconciliation Commissions work, and to make the links between South African Apartheid and Canada.  Musically, we explored arrangements and meanings for South African freedom Songs.

To put our “learning into action”, we made a donation to the Ottawa Inuit Children’s centre’s Tukimut afterschool program and donated gifts to 5 children which the students bought, wrapped, and delivered.  All attempts were made to collect emergency supplies for the community of Attawapiskat, but the transport truck left early and we were unable to follow through with our original plans.  A homeless shelter was very glad to receive our offerings.

After the holiday season was over, special guest, Christopher Snowboy, IRS survivor and musician, really brought everything together for us.  Chris left us with a strong message that no matter what we encounter in our lives, there is always hope, and that music has the power to express our sorrow and heal our wounds.”

Thank you to Ms. Hunter and students who had an extremely successful term, and for making Project of Heart such a huge part of this.  Thanks for your participation!

Brad Boucher, Native Studies teacher at St. Pius X HS in Ottawa made history when he requested that a Project of Heart kit be sent to his school this year – it was the beginning of a learning experience that would see his school became the first-ever to complete the Project three years running !

St. Pius Students created beautiful works of art while learning about the lasting impacts of the Indian Residential Schools (IRS) on generations of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people in Canada who attended the Federal Hostel at Eskimo Point/Arviat in Nunavut and
Fort McPherson (Flemming Hall) in the North West Territories.

As part of the learning, survivor Christopher Snowboy from Chisasabi spoke to the students and answered questions about his experiences at St. Phillip IRS in James Bay.  Christopher also brought his guitar to the school and wowed the students with his singer/songwriter talents as he sang “Child of Innocence”, his song about experiences at the IRS.

For the social justice component of the module, Brad brought his students to the Federal Court in the Supreme Court of Canada, to hear the Appeal by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and the Assembly of First Nations into the dismissal of the Human Rights Tribunal.  Both court rooms were full of supporters of First Nations children, as the campaign, “Have a Heart for First Nations Children”, went into full-swing.

Our thanks go out to Brad Boucher and the Native Studies students at St. Pius X for supporting First Nations children in their struggle for access to services in education and child welfare that all other Canadian children take for granted.  Hopefully St. Pius students — along with hundreds of other students that supported Cindy Blackstock and Sean Atleo at the Federal Court and the rally on Parliament Hill on February 14th — will soon know if the Appeal was successful! 

- Photo by Hussein Abdallah

Earlier this month Project of Heart’s Charlene Bearhead (National Manager for National Day of Healing and Reconciliation) teamed up with IRS survivor (and founder of National Day of Healing and Reconciliation) Maggie Hodson, as activists and and facilitators from seven  organizations gathered to participate in a compressed version of Project of Heart that the two presented at a one day workshop in Calgary.

Facilitators from the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiatives Human Rights Domain, the Aboriginal team from the Calgary Boys and Girls Club, the Calgary Youth Detention Centre , the Calgary Public Schools, Calgary Catholic Schools, the University of Calgary, and a group of Indian Residential School health support workers, were all there to find out how they could connect to the learning and the teaching made available to them by Charlene and Maggie.

“The energy in the room was amazing!”, Charlene reports – “we did a “compressed” Project of Heart and it was wonderful!”

In addition to POH materials, Charlene and Maggie also used the 100 Years of Loss kit made available from the Legacy of Hope Foundation during the resource segment.

Here’s Charlene again: “I think it’s wonderful that one of the Elders is going to use Project of Heart with the young people that she works with in a youth detention centre. She is working with those youth to help them understand their own pain.”

One attendee, a youth support worker with the Boys and Girls Club, revealed that her father went to an Indian Residential School and that she didn’t know much because he never talked about it. “She was really impacted by what she had learned yesterday,” said Bearhead. “She told us that she was almost scared to know what happened to him.”

When the day was done, and the facilitator was asked for her reflections, she said, “It’s a good day and a good time for this country as this movement washes over this land.”

As a result of the workshop, at least thirteen groups and classes will be doing Project of Heart in the Calgary area.

Port Perry teacher Nancy Hamer-Strahl has completed Project of Heart for a second year running. Once again, Nancy has found a way to connect her classroom to her own community — including her area’s First Nation community — and ultimately to the whole country through her contribution to CBC’s excellent “8th Fire” series.

This year, Hamer-Strahl’s students commemorated the lives lost at St. Michael’s IRS in Alert Bay, British Columbia, as well as Lake St. Marin IRS at Fisher River, Manitoba. They decorated over 600 tiles to honour these children. Former Residential School students related their experiences to her students and Cliff Standingready, author and Oshawa resident, spoke to Nnacy’s class and shared his story.

Nancy had this to say about the impact Project of Heart has had on her learners.

“I have never witnessed such empathy and compassion being put into action by truly committed young Canadians willing to undertake a project which helps them better understands their country’s history. Project of Heart compels them to want to make their country a better place by actively participating in its creation. We often think that this has already been accomplished but to our surprise we need to keep working at it. My students got that message and as a teacher it does not get any better than that!

Nancy’s students put their learning into action by participating in “Have a Heart for First Nations Children” campaign by the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. Heart-felt letters were written by more than 50 students, addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper as well as Indian Affairs Minister, John Duncan, urging them to address the gross injustices facing First Nations children on reserve in Canada. They enthusiastically joined Cindy Blackstock and all the students in heart and spirit, by having these letters be delivered on Valentine’s Day during the “Have a Heart for First Nations Children”! http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Kids+Harper+Have+Heart+First+Nations+children/6151922/story.html

Congratulations to Port Perry High School for all that you’ve done to bring national attention to Project of Heart — and for doing your utmost to make Canada responsible to address its negligence in protecting First Nations children. Port Perry believes in dignity and equality for all children regardless of who they are — to quote Nancy again: “to date our students have commemorated over 1100 children and we won’t stop until every child is honoured!”

Click on image above to see slideshow of student Jake Robinson’s work

It’s never been done before, but a talented high school student from Ontario has completed the remarkable feat of decorating the commemorative tiles for an entire Indian Residential School all by himself. Most students working on Project of Heart are given a set of 10 tiles to decorate, but, as reported by Port Perry’s High School Newsletter, “Jake Robinson was so inspired by this project that he has taken on the job to commemorate 200 children on his own, during his free time. His artistic talent speaks volumes of his passion for this commemorative project.”

Project coordinator Sylvia Smith was in Jake’s school in January and was lucky enough to meet her new hero. “It’s young people like Jake that give these children’s lives agency. We remember that our future is in these youth.” Smith is quick to add, that without the teachers on board, enthusiasm like Jake’s would not flourish.  “It’s teachers like Nancy Hamer-Strahl who plant the seeds and keep them watered.”  It was under Hamer-Strahl’s guidance that Jake was able to accomplish this mammoth task.

Thank you Jake Robinson! Project of Heart has come one step closer to completion with your dedication and persistence.

Here’s Pam on just how she did it:

  “The Grade 10 Native Studies class buddied up with the Grade 4 elementary school students across the road.  We met periodically over the semester to tell Native Legends to one another. Because we have a Metis Elder meet with my class once of week, the class is allowed to experience the culture. We also have an Aboriginal Consultant who came to the school to talk about the Medicine Wheel as well as the Indian Residential Schools. We spent about two weeks studying them. Project of Heart was very timely as I introduced it to the students as a Culminating Activity and it became part of their final exam.

“We had 20 secondary schools students mentoring 25 Grade 4 students and the bonding and learning that took place was phenomenal! As you can see from the photos, the children were focused and on task– and took their efforts seriously. It took three sessions to complete the tiles. Afterward, the two classes came together again for the Smudging Ceremony and Dedication. The Metis Elder smudged the tiles and shared his knowledge about the tragic situation of the Residential Schools. On the final day of class, some students did a Reflection which I have included with the tiles.

“One of the most inspirational moments for me was the Social Justice piece, where the students wrote to the Prime Minister and/or Member of Parliament. The students began to truly understand the what the Indian Residential Schools were all about. It was very timely that the CBC had shown 8^th Fire.  The second episode, “It’s Time”, showcases Project of Heart. I showed this episode in class and the students were amazed that their project was on national television!

Vanderburg continues her reflection with a call to improve our Ontario’s public school curriculum by including balanced, factual historical content. “As head of the Canada and World Studies Department at our school, I am amazed that the Grade 10 History Course is called Canadian History and yet it does not contain any Aboriginal history– only the European Civil Wars. As we move into the 21^st Century, it is vital that our youth — and Canadians generally — understand Canadian Heritage.”

This past semester students from Ottawa’s Nepean High School once again participated in Project of Heart, marking the second time in two years their school has partnered with POH. Four Grade 9 Geography classes designed a total of 300 tiles in commemoration of the young lives lost at the Ridgemont Home for Children in Whitehorse and Pine Creek Indian Residential School in Manitoba.

Here’s what teacher Leigh Williamson had to say about the experience:

Prior to the tile designing, the students researched the history of the Indian Residential Schools. They were shocked by the information that shook their confidence in all that they’d leaned about Canada being anything but a peaceful and accepting country.  The reality of this chapter in our history was one that left many students grappling with their notions of fairness and they were inspired to take action.  They took their civic responsibilities seriously and did so by addressing the epidemic of violence against Indigenous women.

Posting pictures of missing Aboriginal women, signing petitions in support of Amnesty International’s “Stolen Sisters” initiative, and writing letters to MPs in Parliament — all ways the young learners engaged in action as gestures of reconciliation. Here is an example of a letter sent by one of Leigh’s students:

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Minister John Duncan, Minister Robert Nicholson and Minister Vic Toews,

This is an e-mail regarding Gladys Tolley.

If you have not heard of her she was an Alqonquin woman who was hit on highway 105 by a Police Patrol car.  None of the required tests and analysis’s took place regarding her death. Her body was simply sent to a funeral home.

This is unacceptable.

The investigation of the scene was conducted by the brother of the Officer responsible for hitting her. And to make it even more biased, another brother was present during the investigation. Now unless these men were utterly andtotally loyal to their job, then I would assume that maybe they actually took this seriously. However, they are only human beings so it would be obvious that they stuck to the guilty officer’s side, (their brother’s side). Gladys left behind a daughter, Bridget Tolley.

For years she has been trying to make sense of what happened to her mother. She and her family have asked to see the results of the investigation. Yet their wish has been declined. Briget has been refused again and again for this information, and she is holding the officers accountable for her mother’s death. Last year with the support of eight organizations:

Native Woman’s Associtation of Canada, Quebec Native Woman, the Assembly of First Nations, Assembly of First Nations Quebec and Labrador, Amnesty International, Amnesty Montreal, Algonquin Nation and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, they asked for a private investigation into the death of Gladys Tolley. They were refused.

All they are asking is that the Federal Government gives them support against the Government of Quebec’s decision regarding this tragedy.  And all that I am asking is that you honesty and truly take a look at this.  Imagine if this was your mother wouldn’t you do the same?

Sincerely

Martha Zacharias

For the final segment of the Project, IRS survivor Chris Snowboy came to the Grade 9 classrooms to share memories of his own residential school experience through words and song.

In October 2011, Kim Bruton from Sir Robert Borden High School in Ottawa contacted Project of Heart after hearing an interview regarding the Project on the CBC. It took no time for her to involve her Grade 12 “Canada: History, Identity, and Culture” course. Here’s what some of her students had to say after having completed the five-part education module, which commemorated students who died while attending an IRS, including those who lost their lives at St. Paul’s IRS in Cardston, Alberta:

“It shocks me that today in a supposedly fair and equitable society that Aboriginal people are treated like second-class citizens. The conditions that they have to withstand on reserves are jaw-dropping, things that most of us take for granted. The project was definitely eye-opening as I had heard about Residential Schools beore but not to the same extent as I did while working on this project. It still amazes me that such actions were tolerated in Canada.” – Becky Underhill

“To be completely honest, I barely had any idea of what occurred in Residential Schools before embarking on the Project of Heart. I was very shocked to say the least when I found out the atrocities that occurred. I am proud to be a part of it and playing my part to make a difference.” – Sarah Agulnik

“What struck me most during the Project of Heart was just how real and horrible the experiences of Aboriginal children were. The tiles are a very tangible way to represent the deaths of the children. When the tiles were laid out in fromt of me, it truly began to hit me, that each of those colourful tiles was there representing a soul of a lost child. As an Aboriginal student, in a mainly non-Aboriginal school, I often have to deal with ignorance. People seem to think that Aboriginal people get all sorts of benefits without reason….The awareness that this project raised, gives me hope that the message will continue to spread and the ignorance that exists toward the Aboriginal community will be eliminated.” –  Lindsay Bilodeau

“Project of Heart was enlightening to say the least. It wasn’t necessarily the things that we did, but what we gained as a result of what we did. It forced us to take a look at the IRS system. It gave us perspective. It made us think deeper and work harder on an issue we just didn’t know enough about. PoH taught us how to care about this issue. It was truthfully, an excellent experience.” –  Nicola Milutinovic

And finally, Brad McDonald offers his insights:

“Learning about how these children lost not only their language and culture, but also their families, was really depressing. Every bad thing I researched motivated me to work as hard as I could on this project to raise awareness to other students.”

Pickering, Ontario teacher Jenny Brown recently worked with her Dunbarton HS  students to decorate over 900 tiles to commemorating the children who lost their lives at Cecilia Jeffrey IRS in Kenora, Ontario, Grollier Hall IRS in Inuvik, NWT, and St. Peter’s IRS in Hay River, NWT.

With the students as they learned about Canada’s history during this dark era was Andrew Wesley, and IRS survivor and clergyperson.  Brown states, “The visit by Andrew was great.  My students were very moved by the experience and will never forget it!”

But Brown’s students didn’t stop there. They learned about Canada’s inaction on the drinking water crisis faced by First Nations people living on reserves and how it is shaming our country internationally. They then signed the water petition (please check out Amnesty International’s easy-to-join campaign to help you take meaningful action about this calamity). Students also signed Amnesty International’s petition called, “No More Stolen Sisters” to address the epidemic of missing and murdered Aboriginal women in Canada.

Congratulations Dunbarton High!