RRC Polytech is hosting its seventh annual Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement (TRCE) Week to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, on September 30.
This year, TRCE Week began on Monday, Sept. 22, with a virtual keynote from Phyllis Webstad, whose story of Residential Schools started the Orange Shirt movement in 2013.
RRC Polytech has also partnered with Nursing student Dasia Chatkana, whose original design is featured on the RRC Polytech Orange Shirt in support of the Mínwastánikéwin Truth and Reconciliation Award, which is awarded to Indigenous students every year in January.
"Every year for seven years, the RRC Polytech community has come together to learn about Truth and Reconciliation and Canada's true history from Indigenous perspectives," says Jamie Wilson, RRC Polytech's Vice-President, Indigenous Strategy, Business Development and Research.
"It's important for us as an educational institution to not only affirm these histories centring Indigenous Peoples, but also to raise awareness to non-Indigenous Canadians that what they were taught in school doesn't necessarily reflect all realities."
TRCE Week is five days filled with sessions to educate the RRC Polytech community about the many different responsibilities of Truth and Reconciliation.
While Truth and Reconciliation is a year-round commitment for RRC Polytech, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a focal point that encourages employees and students to immerse themselves in Indigenous Teachings, storytelling and experiences.
Opportunities to cultivate understandings of the true history and current issues impacting Indigenous Peoples, and reconciliation efforts by society as a whole, contribute to a stronger, more unified community that benefits all members.
"Truth and Reconciliation is an ongoing process of learning and integrating new information, disentangling ourselves from misinformation and unlearning what we think we know, and opening ourselves to truths that might surprise or challenge us," says Carla Kematch, Director, Truth and Reconciliation and Community Engagement.
"All the sessions we host this week are something that each participant can take back to the classroom, to the workplace and to their personal lives so they can continue the lifelong journey of learning today, tomorrow and every day into the future as we work towards building a better and brighter future for all,"
Planned sessions include a virtual keynote from Phyllis Webstad, whose story inspired the Orange Shirt movement; a Two Spirit Sharing Circle; workshops for Talking Sticks, drumming, and painting; and panel discussions with the Knowledge Keepers Council and staff on Indigenous perspectives in inclusive hiring and belonging.
Other sessions explore Inuit culture, traditional teachings like the Cedar Bath, and the historical timelines of the First Nations and Métis.
RRC Polytech's original Orange Shirt, which is released every year as part of TRCE Week, was designed by Nursing student Dasia Chatkana and can be purchased through the Campus Store.
To learn more about Truth and Reconciliation Week sessions, see the full event schedule.
