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Youth Dialogue panellists received ceremonial blankets in thanks for their contributions to Education Day. Left to right: Brandon Strawberry, Maxime Rurangwa, Danielle Power, Mary Anderson and Jenna Broomfield.--Photos by Yuet Chan
Students and educators from across Alberta attended Education Day at Edmonton’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) event on Thursday, March 27. They came from Fort McMurray and Eden Valley, from Siksika and Grande Cache, and from all points in between.
Altogether, more than 2,300 students, 500 educators and a host of other guests and presenters attended the event, and their energy filled Shaw Conference Centre. Education Day coordinator Charlene Bearhead couldn’t have been more pleased. "To connect and engage with that many students from that many places is an excellent start to the truth and reconciliation process," said Bearhead. "I think we did a good job of creating a positive and inspiring first step."
While some may see this seventh and final stop on the Truth and Reconciliation tour as the culmination of the TRC’s mandate, clearly Bearhead does not. "The next step is for these students, teachers, educators, school board chairs and department of education representatives to bring what they learned back to their communities" she said.
Inuit throat singers perform at TRC Education Day
Jenna Broomfield, an Inuit youth who participated in the Youth Dialogue Panel, agrees with Bearhead. At the end of the panel discussion, when Broomfield was asked to share final thoughts and insights with the packed hall, she said, "I worry that mainstream Canada will feel this event marks the end of reconciliation. But it doesn’t. How are we as Aboriginal people to feel reconciled if policies are still in place that do not recognize our needs regarding the future? The TRC events are the beginning of reconciliation, not the end."
The room erupted into hoots and hollers after Broomfield spoke, a response that greeted all five of the youth panellists throughout the afternoon. Ranging in age from 16 to 25, the five panellists represented a broad spectrum of backgrounds and experiences. Joining Broomfield on stage were Brandon Strawberry, a Grade 10 student and a proud member of the O’Chiese First Nation; Danielle Power, a Métis woman with a passion for social justice; Mary Anderson, a young woman of Norwegian descent who is studying history and education; and Maxime Rurangwa, a business student and performer whose family fled Rwanda during the genocide.
The fiddle and guitar group from Prince Charles School, in Edmonton, performed at the TRC event.
Education Day closed with a number of inspiring tributes to former students of residential schools, elders, family and community. Performances ran the gamut of traditional (drummers and jingle dress dancers, throat singers, and a Métis fiddle and guitar group) to modern (video collage, hip hop and spiritual music). Elder Theresa Strawberry felt honoured by the tribute. "It was a gift to hear the youth tell their stories today, to hear their songs and to see how they bridge the gap of different cultures. This is our future."
