Truth and Reconciliation
World Water Day | March 22
World Water Day, celebrated globally on March 22, holds particular significance for Indigenous communities with deep cultural, spiritual, and practical connection to water sources. The 2024 theme, Water for Peace, highlights the need to address the historical and ongoing struggles over access to clean water and the preservation of water rights faced by Indigenous Peoples.
Check out DWF’s water-related learning resources.
See how water inspires the work of our Artist Ambassadors:
Cody James Houle, ‘Asking Water for Guidance’
Emily Kewageshig, ‘River’
Isaac Murdoch (Bomgiizhik), “Water is Life”
Patrick Hunter, “Afternoon River Vibes”
Violet Gatensby, ‘Killer Whale’
Peatr Thomas, ‘Miskwaadesi Maada Ookii Gikendamowin Turtle Sharing Knowledge (From the Sturgeon)’
National Indigenous Languages Day | March 31
National Indigenous Languages Day is a day to celebrate and honour Indigenous languages in Canada. Here are a few ways you can take #ReconciliACTION in honour of Indigenous Languages Day and all year round:
Visit our website for a list of resources for learning and teaching Indigenous languages.
Watch the Ted Talk ‘Canada needs thriving Indigenous languages’.
Learn about the status of First Nations Languages in BC.
Truth & Reconciliation Teacher Resources
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund: Learning Resources
This site has lesson plans for K-12 teachers wanting to incorporate Indigenous content in their classrooms along with many other great resources teachers can use in the classroomIndigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada: Truth and Reconciliation
This section of this atlas focuses on residential schools and covers some of the most devastating elements of Canada’s aggressive assimilation policies. Through these residential schools, Inuit, First Nations and Métis children were forcibly removed from their families and forced to adopt identities and practices not their own.Legacy of Hope: Education Resources
You will need to scroll far down the page to find links to educational resources about Canadian residential schoolsLesson Plans for National Truth & Reconciliation Day
Lesson plans focused on Truth and Reconciliation in French and English developed by the Manitoba Teachers' Society for all grades.National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Every Child Matters
Designed for Grades 5 through 12, this virtual event on Sept 30th provides an opportunity to learn first hand from Residential School Survivors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, artists and leaders from nations and cultures across the country. Educators can select the events they wish to livestream for their students and download free educational resources.National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: Education Resources
The NCTR provides links to many age appropriate resources for teachers to use in the classroom or to enhance their own professional knowledge of Indigenous culture and residential schools.Orange Shirt Day/National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
This site provides information for teachers of PD opportunities and classroom resources to support Truth and ReconciliationOrange Shirt Day Activities
Classroom activities for Orange Shirt Day suggested by the BC Teachers' Federation
Orange Shirt Day Lesson Plans
Lesson plans for Orange Shirt Day that were developed by Manitoba Teachers' SocietyProject of Heart
Project of Heart is a journey of seeking truth about the history of Aboriginal people in Canada. Click on the menu item 'What is Project of Heart' to find a description of the project and resources.Resources and Ideas for Orange Shirt Day
Activities and resources created by the Orange Shirt Day SocietyRupertsland Institute 5-12 Resources
Presentation slides and activities for teachers of Grades 5-10 students. This resource focuses on the Métis experience of Residential SchoolsRupertsland Institute K-4 Resources
Presentation slides and activities for teachers of K-4 students. This resource focuses on the Métis experience of Residential SchoolsSecret Path Lesson Plans
The Manitoba Teachers’ Society assembled a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous teachers from across the province to discuss and explore the Secret Path and to create lesson and unit plans to support the use of this resource for the teaching about Residential schools in Manitoba classrooms. The culmination of the discussions and work of this tremendous group of teachers is found here.Starting from the Heart: Going Beyond A Land Acknowledgement
A document from the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario that provides teachers with concrete steps for action for reconciliation.Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action
In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made several calls to action, detailed in this document.What Can I Contribute to Meaningful Reconciliation?
This resource supports educators and learners in using a critical-inquiry approach to develop deep understandings of some of the complex, challenging, and painful events that have affected the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada.