National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Posted on Wednesday, September 11th, 2024

Algonquin College is recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in many ways. Here is an overview of planned activities andorange background with white text that says national Day for Truth and Reconcilliation events to mark the day on the College’s campuses.

All-day elements

· Faculty and employees invited to wear orange T-shirts.

· Early Learning Centre children given orange T-shirts to wear.

· Campus Services offering branded orange T-shirts for sale at Connections.

· Truth and Reconciliation orange virtual backgrounds available to all employees.

· Sharing National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Centre education programming (visit, register and stream online).

· Social media posts to acknowledge the day and recognize our efforts to educate our community.

· Campus screens sharing content related to National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.

Flags

· Ottawa, Pembroke and Perth

· All flags lowered on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept. 30)

· Survivors Flag will be set inside C Building’s lobby in Ottawa.

Ottawa Campus

Recognition Ceremony, 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m., Nawapon (C100)

Please join President and CEO Claude Brulé in Nawapon (C100) at the Ottawa Campus to listen and learn with Sarah Wright, professor of Indigenous Education at the Academic Access Centre.

All Algonquin College employees are welcome. Wear your orange T-shirt to show support.

· Please register to attend in-person.

· Watch the livestream.

· President Brulé will speak about the College’s commitment to TRI. Professor Wright will speak about why Sept. 30 is recognized and then read The Orange Shirt Story by Phyllis Webstad for the Early Learning Centre children and employees.

Food Services (all day)

· Three Sisters Soup will be available in the Marketplace.

ARC bridge and Woodroffe bridge lit up orange

The internal bridges to the Jack Doyle Athletics and Recreation Centre and Algonquin Centre for Construction Excellence will be lit up in orange. This will serve as a highly visible display to show a clear message of love and support to survivors as well as bring awareness to the surrounding community of the College’s commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.

“Remembering the Children” statue (all day)

Orange lights will shine on the Remembering the Children statue to serve as a reminder of the children who never made it home from residential schools.

Student Support Services, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., AC Hub (second floor, Student Commons)

Join us in the AC Hub on Monday, Sept. 30 as we come together to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and honour the survivors of residential schools and the children who never returned home.

Students are invited to drop into the AC Hub to decorate orange paper t-shirts and hang them on the windows in the AC Hub, create a beaded keychain while learning about the significance of beading in Indigenous cultures and engage with a variety of learning materials and resources as we strive to create a more inclusive and informed future and campus community. Light refreshments will also be available. Students are encouraged to wear an orange T-shirt to this event.

This event is brought to you by the AC Hub, in partnership with the Student Health and Wellness Zone. No registration is required. Refreshments will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Film screening and discussion, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Corner Lounge (E133)

The Mamidosewin Centre and the Algonquin Students’ Association will be screening the film Indian Horse. An adaptation of Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel, this moving and important drama sheds light on the dark history of Canada’s Indian residential schools and the indomitable spirit of Indigenous Peoples.

Students, employees and community members are invited to gather and reflect on Truth and Reconciliation and what it means in Ontario. Three Sisters soup and bannock will be served.

 

Pembroke Campus

Presentation and Talking Circle – Monday, Sept. 30, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Students Association Landing

Presentation and talking circle on the experience of the 60s Scoop led by Elder Aimee Bailey and Sherry Dion, campus Kokum

Food Services

A special feast of bannock, wild rice and cranberries, Three Sisters Soup and bean and bacon soup will be for sale.

 

Perth Campus

Student Association, Sept. 26, 27 and 30, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Student Commons

We invite you to join the Students Association for a day dedicated to reflection, learning, and commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. On Sept. 26, 27, and 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., please come by the Student Commons fireplace area to take part in a thoughtful activity, Orange Shirt Day ReconciliACTION Pledge Tabling, where you can fill out a mini orange shirt. On this shirt, you are encouraged to express your personal commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. Your contributions will be collected and displayed as a testament to our collective dedication to this important journey.

On the evening of Sept. 30, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., continue the day’s reflection with a screening of the film Indian Horse.

Ongoing activities

Facilities – Crosswalks will be painted orange. (Ottawa Campus)

Kwey Algonquin College’s Indigenous Language Video Series, Sept 4. to Sept. 30

Sharing on myAC, the AC blog and social media, the fall edition of “Kwey” – Algonquin College’s Indigenous Language Video Series. In the spring of 2024, we introduced you to a selection of videos sharing words, expressions and phrases in the Anishinàbe Algonquin language, the traditional language of this region.

New videos will include greetings and salutations and common phrases. Towards the end of the month, as we prepare for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we will share more about the Seven Grandfather Teachings as well as expressions of healing and understanding.

Tebwewin – Truth- Indigenous Initiatives Office, Sept. 12, 17 and, 25

Join the Indigenous Initiatives Office for an enlightening event focused on the importance of Tebwewin – Truth, where we explore the power of reconciliation and sharing the impact of the residential school system.

These events will take place in September leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, with an event happening on each campus:

· Perth Campus, Thursday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Student Commons

Registration: Tebwewin – Truth – Perth Campus

· Pembroke Campus, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., The Landing

Registration: Tebwewin – Truth – Pembroke Campus

· Ottawa Campus, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Nawapon (C100)

Registration: Tebwewin – Truth – Ottawa Campus

Truth and Reconciliation Art Installation– Thursday, Sept. 26, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., The AC Hub (until Oct. 5)

Join the President’s Office, Indigenous Initiatives Office and the AC Hub in contributing to a profound community art initiative, the Truth and Reconciliation Art Installation at The Canadian Library. This event will take place at the AC Hub from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The Canadian Library stands as a poignant memorial dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, as well as 2SLGBTQ+ persons. Consisting of 8,000 books, each wrapped in Indigenous-designed fabrics and adorned with gold-lettered names on their spines, the installation visually represents the lives to be honored and the collective grief of their loved ones.

In support of this initiative, Algonquin College’s, Indigenous Initiatives Office and AC Hub are assembling a micro library that will be integrated into the final installation. We invite our employees and learners to participate by bringing a hardcover book to be wrapped in fabric, symbolically contributing to the commemoration and remembrance of those whose stories must be told.

The AC Hub will be collecting donations of hardcover books in advance of the event. Please drop off hardcover novels at the front desk. The memorial will remain in the Spiritual Centre until a permanent public space (such as a museum or art gallery) for the completed Canadian Library of 8,000 books is established.

This event not only fosters awareness and remembrance but also embodies our commitment to truth, reconciliation, and community engagement. Join us as we contribute to a meaningful dialogue through art and collective action.

Thank you for your support and participation in this important initiative.

Note: please ensure all books brought and donated for wrapping are hardcover editions and have a maximum height of 13 inches and a minimum width of spine of 1.5 inches


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