Survivor Truths: The Art of Reconciliation

Listening to the stories of residential school Survivors is a form of witnessing — a way for Survivor truths to be heard and carried forward. The Survivors from the Alberni Indian Residential School, like Survivors across the country, continue their work to educate non-Indigenous Canadians about their experiences and shared histories.

Now that you have listened to the stories of these Survivors, and explored the art they produced during their time at residential school, reflect on how these stories and artworks have changed you. What does it mean to you to have heard these individual stories and truths? What kind of feelings or emotions are you experiencing? Are you inspired? Angry? Shocked? Ashamed? Sad? How might these feelings inspire you to act or think differently about Canada and reconciliation? There are a range of ways you can reflect and carry this learning forward in your own active form of witnessing, such as drawing, writing, and discussing, for example.