Students open their eyes to Canada’s ‘darkest era’
‘Youth ambassadors’ visit school to hear stories of residential school survivors
Six young people visiting Saskatoon from countries around the world witnessed a presentation about a shameful chapter of Canadian history.
Impossible2Possible co-founder Ray Zahab said his organization’s purpose is not just to take students on a trip to see the sights, but for them to “learn as much as they can” during their short stints in each province.
“We want them to take context from today’s visit into the rest of their journey about Canada,” Zahab said. “They have a lens now. They have a different way of looking at things.”
The impossible2Possible program is an experiential learning and education initiative that takes “youth ambassadors” on expeditions around the world. Classrooms can connect to the expeditions over the Internet for live teaching and sharing sessions with the people involved. Saskatoon is the second stop on impossible2Possible’s #ShareCanadaTour, which makes stops in all 10 provinces and three territories over 13 days. The next stop is Yellowknife.
The group visited John Lake Elementary School and joined students from Charles Redhawk Elementary School on the Whitecap Dakota First Nation in listening to residential school survivors speak at an assembly on Tuesday morning. The ambassadors and Zahab also led an honour run in the afternoon, going from the school to the University of Saskatchewan.
Elders and residential school survivors Walter Linklater and Eugene Arcand joined Whitecap Dakota Chief Darcy Bear as speakers at the assembly. They talked about “the darkest era in Canadian history,” and Arcand lauded the impossible2Possible youth ambassadors for their dedication and commitment.
“Now we have these young people who are honouring their families, honouring themselves, honouring their friends, by carrying this message of truth so we can all live in a better world,” Arcand said in his speech.
As the assembly ended, six John Lake students presented dolls to the survivors. Students made the dolls after a previous teaching from Maria Linklater, who is Walter’s wife and a fellow residential school survivor. The dolls are meant as a way to give back some of what was taken from children at the residential schools, both emotionally and physically.
Tiernan Classen, 13, said he volunteered to lead the students and present the doll to Maria Linklater at the end of the assembly. Classen said he knew exactly what he wanted to say when he gave her the gift.
“I want to present this doll to you with as much hope and joy as possible. And we all hope that we can bring the smile back to your face and bring hope back into your life.”
We want them to take context from today’s visit into the rest of their journey about Canada. They have a lens now.