Learning Opportunities

AUDIENCE: K-12 EDUCATORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.

In 2016, the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights engaged in a collaborative pilot project with five schools in Edmonton Catholic and Edmonton Public School Boards.  The program applied a reconciliation through a human rights-based lens, exploring a variety of topics including the history of Residential Schools, the Blanket Exercise, Treaty, Worldview, Indigenous Language, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Children’s Rights.  After the first exploration,  Advancing Reconciliation in Education facilitated  the participation of students in a  a process of building their own calls to action. Those calls to action were captured in art forms, videos, documents, a zine, and concrete actions that affected their school communities in positive ways.

https://www.jhcentre.org/reconciliation-in-schools/

The Advancing Reconciliation in Education Professional Development Series workshops provide the opportunity to work through the toolkit and learn skills and processes to apply that knowledge in the classroom. JHC will provide a framework for teachers to introduce and work through Canada’s complex and challenging history, while inspiring action and understanding in schools and the broader community.

Session One:

The first full day workshop provides a starting point to open conversations about our shared history and a framework for introducing Truth and Reconciliation in the classroom. 

This session aims to create a safe and supportive space for teachers to work through some important questions about teaching reconciliation in an age appropriate way.  Participants have the opportunity to learn from a local Elder/Knowledge Keeper who  lead us in ceremony, share teachings and help work through some of the questions and barriers that may arise when introducing the history of residential schools and the lasting effects of  intergenerational trauma.

Cross cultural dialogue about bringing truth and reconciliation into schools is fundamental to the day, as well as the sharing of best practices and introducing the sessions of the toolkit.

We will share resources created by Indigenous organizations and community members and talk about best practices when inviting educators with lived experience into the classroom.

Session Two:

The second full day workshop provides participants the opportunity to delve deeper into activities and topics of the toolkit. This session demonstrates collaborative, participatory learning activities centered around the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaty and Children’s Rights. We will present age appropriate ways to bring these concepts into the classroom.

We are honoured to have a local Indigenous Knowledge Keeper join us to explore the local context of these topics.

Participants will come up with an action plan for advancing truth and reconciliation in their school community and will identify resources and community supports to move this forward.

This learning opportunity is being offered through a grant from Alberta Education.