Loyalist College recognizes Truth and Reconciliation Week

Belleville, ON, Sept. 26, 2024 – Earlier this week, Loyalist College students and employees gathered around a fire in the A’nó:wara Learning Circle, an outdoor learning space dedicated to Indigenous ceremony and teaching at its Belleville campus. Offering tobacco to the fire and setting intentions for the week ahead, the college community marked the beginning of Truth and Reconciliation Week (Sept. 23 – 27), culminating in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – also known as Orange Shirt Day – on Sept. 30.

Led by Loyalist’s Indigenous Services team, this year, the college’s Truth and Reconciliation Week programming centres on the story of Phyllis Webstad, whose orange shirt, given to her by her grandmother, was taken from her on her first day at St. Joseph Mission Residential School. Her story has since become the foundation for Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots movement to honour the experiences of the survivors of the residential school system and the lives of the children who never returned home.

During the Opening Fire and Tobacco Ceremony, Jennifer Tewathahá:kwa Maracle, Loyalist’s Executive Director of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation, spoke to the significance of Webstad’s experience. “The story of Orange Shirt Day is a reminder of the cultural loss and pain experienced by the families affected by the residential school system – but it is also a story about the hope of reconciliation and the healing power of telling our stories,” she explains. 

Throughout the week, events at the college offer students and college employees opportunities for reflection, learning and cultural connection. Along with the Opening Fire, the college community can participate in Orange Shirt Teaching workshops at both the Belleville and Port Hope campuses, creating opportunities for thoughtful discussion and learning. The week will end with a Closing Fire and Round Dance, followed by a Drumming Circle.

Loyalist College President and CEO Mark Kirkpatrick emphasized that Truth and Reconciliation Week is an annual opportunity for the college to reflect on its commitment to advancing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. “This week provides an important moment for our community to assess the progress we’ve made and recognize the work that still lies ahead,” he says. “Loyalist College is on a path to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into every aspect of the college – from employee education and learning in the classroom to the broader student experience.”

As part of these efforts, the college’s 4 Seasons of Reconciliation employee education program has helped to ensure Loyalist faculty and staff have resources to meaningfully engage in reconciliation. “Through the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation program, Loyalist employees have a foundational understanding of the history and lasting impacts of colonization,” says Maracle. “This education has laid the groundwork for deeper engagement during Truth and Reconciliation Week and allows us to begin taking more tangible action to drive change.”

Loyalist College has also begun integrating courses taught from an Indigenous perspective into program curriculums, hiring Indigenous faculty to lead the programming and allowing Loyalist students to develop a holistic understanding of the contributions, experiences and perspectives of Indigenous peoples.

“Centring Indigenous ways of knowing and being, as well as Indigenous pedagogy, are essential priorities if we are to be decolonizing our institutions,” adds Katharine Davis, Professor of Indigenous Studies at Loyalist. “Our students are being introduced to not only the painful history between Indigenous people and the Government of Canada, but also to a rich, vibrant and resilient people who have valid contributions to make to education in Canada. By weaving Indigenous content and perspectives into courses at Loyalist, we are truly practising reconciliatory education.”

Learn more about Truth and Reconciliation Week at Loyalist College.
 

About Loyalist College

Loyalist College is built upon the lands governed by the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement. We affirm and thank the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg and Huron-Wendat nations for their continued caretaking of the land. At Loyalist, we empower our students with wraparound support services and hands-on training to succeed on any path they choose. Our academic programs are responsive and innovative, designed to solve pressing social and economic challenges and meet the evolving needs of our regional industry and community partners. Our graduates enter the workforce equipped with the knowledge they need to be better global citizens, and with future-focused skills to lead change in their fields. With a presence in Belleville, Bancroft, Port Hope, Tyendinaga and Toronto, we believe our institutional responsibility extends beyond the classroom to seeing the big picture for the communities we serve. Our expertise in applied research and deep connections to local industry support economic development, to the benefit of businesses, entrepreneurs, changemakers and innovators. Our commitment to decolonization, and the pursuit of a more inclusive, equitable world, means we hold ourselves accountable to the diverse perspectives, cultures and experiences that shape our communities.

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Contact:
Hannah Brown
Director of Marketing and Communications
hbrown@loyalistcollege.com