Brock students, faculty and staff will reflect on the lasting impacts of Canada’s residential school system during a series of events leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The University began its month-long event schedule by raising the distinctive orange Every Child Matters flag on Sept. 1, honouring the memory of Indigenous children who were forced to attend Indian residential schools and never made it home, those who survived, and their families. The flag will fly in front of the Schmon Tower for the entire month.

“Every Child Matters is deeply personal for many indigenous families, including my own,” says Sheila Cote-Meek, Interim Vice-Provost of Indigenous Engagement. “My grandfather attended residential school, and I have seen how those experiences continue to affect families across generations. Raising this flag is not only an act of remembrance, but it is also a call to responsibility: to know the truth, to listen and to consider what reconciliation asks each of us to do differently.”

A range of activities throughout September will create opportunities for the Brock community to learn, reflect and come together in support of truth and reconciliation.

Over the course of four Wednesdays, the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre will host a Bead and Read that gathers registered participants to bead peyote stitch rings while discussing Jesse Wente’s book Unreconciled: Family, Truth and Indigenous Resistance.

On Thursday, Sept. 24, the Brock community is invited to Walk With Brock and take steps towards reconciliation. Gathering at the bus loop in front of the Rankin Family Pavilion, participants are asked to wear orange shirts and there will be an aerial photo taken before the walk. Community partners and area schools have been invited to participate as well. A similar event is planned for Monday, Sept. 28 at the Burlington Campus.

Orange Every Child Matters shirts, featuring a design from Hadiya’dagénhahs Student Advisor and Recruiter Evelyn Dilworth, will be available for purchase in the Brock Campus Store, with proceeds going to the Centre.

Additional events and workshops throughout the month include Rock Painting for Reconciliation on Tuesday, Sept. 15, Orange Shirt Day Beaded Pin Workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 22, Reclaiming Power and Place for Indigenous Voices on Thursday, Sept. 24 and Lacrosse FUNdamentals on Friday, Sept. 25. There is also a trip to Woodland Cultural Centre on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Free for Brock students, staff and faculty, registration includes round-trip transportation, admission to the on-site museum and a self-guided tour of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School.

Several film and documentary screenings are taking place throughout the month, such as Into the Light on Thursday, Sept. 17, The Nature of Healing on Tuesday, Sept. 22, Indigiqueer on Friday, Sept. 25 and Bones of Crows on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

A full day of programming is planned for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, with events focussed on understanding the ongoing impacts of residential schools and the responsibilities that come with reconciliation.

Co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, Indigenous Educational Studies programs in the Faculty of Education and the Office of People and Culture, the Living Legacy: Moving Through Generations of Trauma session aims to help faculty and staff better understand intergenerational trauma and consider their own roles and responsibilities in advancing reconciliation within the University. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to work with employees to enable participation in this event whenever reasonably possible.

Hadiya’dagénhahs is hosting two Every Child Matters lacrosse games at Alumni Field, a women’s match at 4:30 p.m. followed by a men’s match at 7 p.m. Both games will include drummers, an opening address followed by a land acknowledgement and the raising of the Every Child Matters Flag on the field, and half-time performances.

Lining the field will be hearts designed by the Brock community throughout the month in support of truth and reconciliation.

“Knowing that people have taken the time to sit down and write messages on these hearts, that really is overwhelming. It’s such a simple thing. It’s a message on a piece of paper in the shape of a heart, but it’s quite impactful,” says Cindy Biancaniello, Director of Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre.

Visit ExperienceBU for a full listing of the events planned throughout September.