Legacy Schools: Back to School with DWF!

Welcome Back!

We’ve got lots of great programming coming your way this fall for Legacy Schools! Toolkits are being assembled and will be shipped the week of Sept. 6, 2022, following Labour Day. On September 30th, we’re hosting another panel discussion for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and bringing back A DAY TO LISTEN, which will take over radio stations throughout Canada for a full day of programming! After an amazing summer with over 80 new Youth Ambassadors taking part in our programming in July and August, we are excited to get back to school to bring you even more events!


Upcoming Webinars

Planning Your Walk for Wenjack Webinar

This session will cover:

  • What is Walk for Wenjack?
  • Examples of Walks from Legacy Schools and Legacy Spaces
  • How to register as a team or individual on our NEW webpage
  • Resources available

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022 @ 3:30 pm EST

REGISTER HERE

Unpacking Your Legacy Schools Toolkit

So, you’ve signed up for the Legacy Schools program. Now what?

In this session, DWF staff will provide examples of how educators throughout the country known as Canada use the Legacy Schools toolkit with youth in clubs and classrooms. We’ll share our updated resources and ideas on how schools, groups, and clubs use the toolkits to create positive change and reconciliACTIONs in their own communities.

Participants will:

  • Find out how to utilize the resources in the Legacy Schools toolkit/booster
  • Learn about the resources available through our website for all different curriculum areas and ages
  • See examples from other schools/groups/clubs
  • Ask questions about Legacy Schools and organize your own reconciliACTIONs

Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022 @ 3:30 pm EST

REGISTER HERE

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Indigenous Perspectives on the Pope’s Apology

The papal visit in July 2022 resulted in mixed emotions for many Indigenous Peoples throughout the country. Join us on September 30th at 1:00 pm EST to hear directly from those who were involved in and affected by the Pope’s visit. Learn more about what the apology means to those impacted by residential schools, its effects on reconciliation, and how this will shape Indigenous communities and intergenerational relationships across Turtle Island. Mark your calendars. More details to come!

If you have any questions about the impact of residential schools, reconciliation, what the Pope’s apology means, and more, please send them to us when you register for this event.

REGISTER HERE

A DAY TO LISTEN 2022

In recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, DWF will be airing A DAY TO LISTEN 2022 on numerous radio stations throughout the country.

This year, we are highlighting the voices and stories of Indigenous people around the theme of Messages of Hope. This will centre on four areas:

  • Cultural Reclamation
  • Language Resurgence
  • Art Practice
  • Land-based Learning Narratives

As we continue to move forward on the path toward reconciliation, we aim to inspire hope for future generations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information!

LEARN MORE

 


Youth Ambassadors’ Summer Fun

Youth Ambassadors learned about the two row wampum as they tried their hand at beading with Lindsay Lickers. All Youth Ambassadors received a free YA Toolkit with all the items they needed to participate in the sessions – this year they even got a yoga mat for Shayla Stonechild’s yoga and meditation sessions!

Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth between the ages of 16-25 came together this summer to develop their 21st century and leadership skills while building their understanding of what reconciliation is to them through various training sessions and hands-on workshops.

A big thank you to all the great guest speakers who made this year’s session so special:

Shayla Stonechild

Shayla Stonechild – Creating Space for Indigenous Voices
@shayla0h on Instagram

Ecko Aleck

Sacred Matriarch Productions
@sacredmatriarch on Instagram

Lindsay Lickers

lindseylickers.ca – First Nations Artist
@mushkiiki_water on Instagram

Destiney Hootsie and Kelsey Coutts

Bangin’ Bannock

Teri (Deyowidron’t) Morrow

Revitalizing our Sustenance Project

Check out the Youth Ambassadors ReconciliACTION video

DWF is incredibly grateful for the generous support of RBC Foundation, in support of RBC Future Launch, for making this program possible.

 


Upcoming DWF LIVE & Events

Each month, Indigenous artists and leaders join Legacy Schools classrooms and youth groups for live performances, storytelling, and more as we continue to explore how we can all move reconciliation forward through awareness, education, and action. Sign your Legacy School group up for free to engage youth each month.

DWF LIVE sessions will begin during Secret Path Week (Oct. 17-22), which marks the anniversary of Gord and Chanie’s passing respectively. We will be providing 15 DWF LIVE sessions that week – so stay tuned for registration information!

Upcoming Events

David Robertson will host a DWF LIVE session for Secret Path Week to talk about reconciliation and his book On the Trapline. David Robertson is the author of On the Trapline, a beautiful picture book included in this year’s Legacy Schools Booster Toolkit, which will be arriving at schools in September. The book celebrates Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award-winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honours our connections to our past and future generations. On The , illustrated by Julie Flett, won David’s second Governor General’s Literary Award and was named one of the best picture books of 2021 by the CCBC, The Horn Book, New York Public Library, Quill & Quire, and American Indians in Children’s Literature.

David is the author of numerous books for young readers including When We Were Alone, which won the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award and the McNally Robinson Best Book for Young People Award. His memoir, Black Water: Family, Legacy, and Blood Memory, was a Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire book of the year in 2020 and won the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Award for Non-Fiction as well as the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award at the 2020 Manitoba Book Awards. Dave is the writer and host of the podcast Kíwew, winner of the 2021 RTDNA Praire Region Award for Best Podcast. He is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.

We are planning over 15 DWF LIVE sessions for Secret Path Week. Watch our DWF LIVE page for your chance to sign up for these great free live sessions.

REGISTER FOR DWF LIVE

 


Films for Legacy Schools during Secret Path Week


RETURNING HOME tells the narrative of residential school survivors and Indigenous peoples’ relationship with imperilled wild Pacific salmon.

Once again, Docs For Schools is pleased to partner with Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund for Secret Path Week.

The Secret Path Week program features films about Indigenous stories and issues. Teachers will be able to book these films starting on September 15th, and films will be made available for an in-class, online screening from October 3rd – October 24th, 2022.

For more information, visit: Secret Path Week | Hot Docs

COLONIZATION ROAD
D: Michelle St. John | Canada | 2016 | 49 min
Recommended for grades 7-12
Ryan McMahon travels across Ontario speaking to Indigenous and settler lawyers, historians,  researchers and policymakers who provide history, context and solutions surrounding the interconnected roadways built by the colonial government to bring settlers across the country, connect them with resources to create industry, and create a nation.

RETURNING HOME
D: Sean Stiller | Canada | 2022 | 72 mins
Recommended for grades 7-12, contains sensitive content
Intertwining narratives of residential school survivors, including Orange Shirt Day founder Phyllis Jack-Webstad, and Indigenous peoples’ relationship with imperiled wild Pacific salmon in Secwépemc territory, this testament to resilience reveals how healing people and healing the natural world are synonymous.

TURNING TABLES
D: Chrisann Hessing | Canada | 2017 | 16 mins
Pow wow techno pioneer Joshua DePerry, a.k.a. Classic Roots, uniquely integrates the sounds of his Anishinaabe heritage with electronic and house music. Redefining what it means to be urban and Indigenous, he’s preparing to start the next chapter of his life as an artist and educator in the world’s techno capital: Berlin.


Updated Resources


An example page from the new Legacy Schools 2022/2023 calendar.

All of our Legacy Schools resources have been updated for the new school year. With over 800 links to valuable educational resources, there’s something for every class.

The new Legacy Schools toolkit materials are also online, including a new calendar with Indigenous days of significance highlighted. For a sneak peek, visit our Virtual Legacy Schools Toolkit.

VIEW RESOURCES

 


Send us your ReconciliACTIONS

We love seeing and sharing what Legacy Schools are doing all the time! Send us your reconciliACTIONs for a chance to be featured in our ReconciliACTION Guidebook, in next year’s Legacy School materials and in other DWF communications!

SUBMIT YOURS HERE

Share your reconciliACTIONS on social media! We love seeing the change you’re making – and so does the DWF community! Share your photos and tag us on social media @downiewenjack and we’ll try our best to share with our networks.