We have been planning some exciting things for the new school year! Have a sneak peek into this year’s toolkits and materials, learn more about getting involved in the Educator Advisory Committee, and learn more about DWF’s Truth and Reconciliation Week events. Learn about all this and more, below.
Our new booster kits are on their way to Legacy Schools program leads! Check out all the new resources!
Welcome back to school with new ideas to incorporate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into your class and club resources! This year’s updated material includes sections in the ReconciliACTION guidebook on identity and allyship, an updated calendar centering Indigenous days of significance, along with calendar inquiry questions, and Buffy Sainte-Marie’s book Still This Love Goes On. Can’t wait to get your toolkit in the mail? Check out the:
| DIGITAL LEGACY SCHOOLS TOOLKIT |
We are always accepting new Educators and Youth Group Leaders to help move reconciliation forward in classrooms and clubs. Invite your friends and colleagues to register now to receive their FREE toolkit.
| JOIN THE LEGACY SCHOOLS PROGRAM |
École St. Patrick High School, Yellowknife, NT – EAC member Christina Silzer celebrates the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with students and staff.
The DWF Educator Advisory Committee is a group of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-Indigenous educators and club leaders who advise on educational resources and program development for Legacy Schools programming.
Appointment to the Committee is one two-year term with the possibility of adding a second term. Meetings are typically held virtually four times per year, with the option to join a Subcommittee for Toolkit Resources (meeting January-April, 4-6 times).
We encourage applicants from all over Canada, and especially from Nunavut, Yukon, PEI, Québec, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Labrador.
Legacy School leaders who are from Clubs, Daycares, and Post-Secondary Institutions are also encouraged to apply.
Applications close Sept 5, 2023 at 12pm ET.
| EDUCATOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE INFORMATION & APPLICATION |
Gonzaga Middle School students honour Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Theodore Fontaine Park in Winnipeg, MB.
This month, we will be offering three different educational videos to help you move reconciliation forward in your community.
This session will delve into the importance of land acknowledgements, the difference between a welcome to territory and a land acknowledgement and why it is important for non-Indigenous peoples to create their own and say it from the heart.
| REGISTER HERE |
Learn with Your Head, Lead from the Heart & Speak Your Truth:
Join us as we hear from educators, early childhood care givers, parents, youth, and Artist Ambassador Isaac Murdoch as they share how they tackle the hard truths in teaching young leaners about residential schools. This session will help you take on these difficult but important conversations with your students or other children in your lives in an age-appropriate way.
| REGISTER HERE |
 Joel Cardinal and his family host Intergenerational Resilience: Sharing Stories from a Family of a Residential School Survivor. |
Intergenerational Resilience:
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| REGISTER HERE |
More great events and resources to help you move reconciliation forward in September:
The 215+ Pledge was launched in June 2021 after news broke of 215 children buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. It is a growing coalition to call for #reconciliACTION.
Sign up for the 215+ Pledge newsletter and learn about the on-going recovery of children from the grounds of residential schools, denialism of residential schools, and what that means for Truth and Reconciliation, and more.
| TAKE THE 215+ PLEDGE |
École Confédération, Brantford, ON – using the thirteen moons found on the Legacy Schools calendar students created a display to educate other students about the importance of the moon cycle.
Use the booster kits to create and inspire new learning in your class or club! Here’s what some other Legacy Schools have done. Share your reconciliACTIONs with us to inspire others!
| SUBMIT RECONCILIACTIONS & LESSONS HERE |
Share your ReconciliACTIONs on social media, too!We love seeing the change you’re making – and so does the DWF community! Share your photos and tag us on social media @downiewenjack.
Youth Ambassadors learned about the importance of Elders from Harriet Visitor.
The third annual Youth Ambassador Program wrapped on August 10. This year, we were joined by 105 amazing youth from throughout the country who took part in various training sessions and Artist Ambassador workshops. During their time in the program youth looked toward building their 21st century and leadership skills to further reconciliation in their communities.
A highlight of the program was when youth were joined by niece of Chanie Wenjack and DWF board member, Harriet Visitor, to discuss the roles and importance of Elders. All youth had the opportunity to create their own Elder magnet which symbolizes following in their footsteps.
Inspired by Chanie’s story and Gord’s call to build a better Canada, the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.
Phone: 1-844-944-4545
E-mail: staff@downiewenjack.ca
Address:
PO BOX 749
OHSWEKEN, ON
N0A1M0
WINE RACK STORES PARTNER WITH GORD DOWNIE & CHANIE WENJACK FUND FOR THIRD... 