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“We created an opportunity for students to learn more about the impact and the repercussions of Indian Residential Schools. We wanted to bring survivors into the classroom to share their experience of trauma and their healing, to learn about the intergenerational impacts that are still prevalent today. We wanted students to hear firsthand accounts of survivors' experiences, their healing journey; and, how we can uphold our commitment to reconciliation. - Jennie Blankinship, Former Manager of the Office of Indigenous Education.

On September 24, EDUC 400 students from the Professional Development Program (PDP) gathered at the First Peoples’ Gathering House for an event that invited them to learn and unlearn about the history and impacts of Indian Residential Schools. The EDUC 400 Honouring Our Children Event was profoundly moving, as it invited vulnerability, awareness, and healing through storytelling and a sacred fire exercise. 

The event was co-hosted by the , the Office of Indigenous Education, and the Professional Learning Community (PLC) instructors. Elder Gene Guss, a Wellness Worker and Resolution Health Support Worker (RHSW) at the IRSSS, and Wendall Williams, a Wellness Worker and RHSW from the IRSSS (), opened the event with a beautiful hand drum song, and Elder Gertie Pierre who blessed the event with a prayer. This was followed by an introduction from Wesley Scott, the IRSSS Senior Manager (Indian Residential School Survivors Society, 2025). Scott acknowledged the vulnerability and gravity of the event’s subject and encouraged attendees to take care of themselves and to reach out if they needed support. He also honoured John Jones, who was a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and dear friend to many (), following his recent passing. Jones was an addictions and trauma counsellor who helped many in their healing as a Traditional Helper (Indian Residential School Survivors Society, 2024). At the gathering, an empty seat was placed at the front of the room to honour his spirit.  

A powerful testimony was then shared by Elder Gertie Pierre from the ShĂ­shálh Nation (Sechelt First Nation). She is an Indian Residential School survivor and is currently a Wellness Worker and RHSW for the IRSSS (Indian Residential School Survivors Society, 2025). Her story is one of resilience and strength. As a survivor, Pierre commits to pouring love and kindness into the community. She shared that later in her adult years, she worked at a residential school and made sure to greet every child she encountered with tremendous joy and love. Today, she carries the voices of all those children who did not make it out of residential schools. She speaks for them and carries their stories to be shared with the community. 

After Elder Gertie Pierre’s testimony, Chas Coutlee, a Wellness Worker, RHSW, and Counsellor for the IRSSS (Indian Residential School Survivors Society, 2025), led a sacred fire exercise with student and staff volunteers. This exercise demonstrated the pervasive trauma that residential schools had on Indigenous families and the impact these institutions continue to have on Indigenous communities generations later, while also highlighting the resilience of those who continue to heal. The physical representation of how intergenerational trauma behaves as a ripple effect was deeply resonant.

To close the event, two compelling hand drum songs were played by Wendall Williams. On the way out, attendees were given wooden cedar paddles engraved with the words Respect, Responsibility, Reciprocity, Relevance, Reverence, and Relationships. Small sachets of sage, harvested by Jennie Blankinship from the Nlaka'pamux territory, were given to all attendees as a reminder to prioritize self-care.  

As students exited the venue, they were invited to participate in a cedar brushing, gently brushing their body on the cedar boughs to leave behind any heaviness they carried. These branches have been taken to a local waterway to release these emotions to Mother Earth.  

If you or someone you know needs support, help is available 24/7 through the Indian Residential School Survivors Society Lamathut Crisis Line: 1 (800) 721-0066.