Residential schools
What is a Residential School?
a separate school for the indigenous community to erase their culture and teach them the european values
What does it mean to be an ally?
know your boundaries,
remove your biases,
research and reflect on controversial topics,
Speak up even if you're uncomfortable or scared,
Use your own privilege to help the disadvantaged,
Recognize their own mistakes and learn from them,
Open to opposing views and accepts feedback,
Be aware of your own social location and how it affects others,
Recognize that we don’t truly understand how someone else feels when they are being oppressed
Who can you advocate for?
an individual or group of people who are disadvantaged and can’t speak up for themselves
When did the last residential school close?
1996 in Saskatchewan
What was the purpose of residential schools?
existed as a system of government run churches and institutions, created to assimilate Indigenous children into Canadian culture
What are two ways you can be an ally to the Indigenous community?
Continuing to educate yourself about the Indigenous community
Build relationships with people in the Indigenous Community
Ask what you can do to help out
Learn from the Indigenous people themselves since they are the experts
Speak up even if you're uncomfortable or scared
Use your own privilege to help the disadvantaged
What does it mean to be an advocate for the Indigenous community?
keep learning about the indigenous community, speaking up for them and teaching others, working with indigenous peoples, Advocacy supports Indigenous communities in their fight for their rights, land, and preservation.
How did residential schools negatively affect future generations of Indigenous families?
intergenerational trauma, alcohol and drug abuse
Name 3 things that happened to the children while attending residential schools
physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, hard labour, they had to remove their cultural values
True or False
Being an ally should stem from one’s own self interest
False
True or false, if you’re uncomfortable you should refrain from speaking up?
False, an effective ally allows themself to be uncomfortable
What organization is working to reverse the damage caused by residential schools?
Truth and Reconciliation Commision (TRC)
Who created the school curriculum for residential schools?
Canadian Government and Roman Catholic Churches
What are things ally's shouldn't say towards Indigenous people?
I understand what you are going through,
saying offensive words/phrases,
Why don't you just get over it
You’re Indigenous? You must be an alcoholic.
The Indigenous culture
Canada’s Indigenous Peoples
You people were conquered
Can you and your people forgive my people for what we did?
How can workplaces and organizations practice advocacy for the Indigenous community?
inform their employees/customers who and what the indigenous community is, participating in movements such as orange shirt day
How many children died when attending residential schools?
About 150,000 children attended the schools and at least 6,000 died, but, given poor record keeping, the figure could be much higher