September 30th is a federal statutory holiday named the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in recognition of the lasting harm residential schools have had on Indigenous communities. We ask students, staff, faculty and our community to use this opportunity to reflect on the profound injustice and harm of residential schools and ensure that the intergenerational trauma suffered by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit families is not forgotten.As part of Truth and Reconciliation Week (September 27 to October 1), we will take a moment of silence in our classrooms and we encourage wearing orange—a symbol of remembrance of the legacy of residential schools that honours the experiences of Indigenous Peoples and celebrates resiliency. We encourage you to explore these resources: https://nctr.ca/ and https://nctr.ca/education/trw/general-public-schedule/ and https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.htmlThis year has been particularly difficult for Indigenous people across Canada. In May, Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc First Nation announced they had located the remains of 215 Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C. Since then, numerous other graves have been located across North America. OPC is committed to creating safe spaces for healing for Indigenous peoples within our learning community and within the field of mental health and wellbeing. We also want to ensure all students of ancestry are provided with the support and care they need as they undertake an educational journey. Through education, awareness, and understanding, our OPC community can learn from the rich cultural history of the First Peoples of Canada and make certain that the human rights abuses associated with forced assimilation and genocide are not forgotten.
