Truth and reconciliation education efforts ramp up in N.L. schools

Efforts to educate Newfoundland and Labrador's school-aged children on the residential school system are getting a boost on several fronts, as truth and reconciliation takes on a greater role within the curriculum.

Many of the province's schools held Orange Shirt Day events in the lead up to the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, the new federal statutory holiday to observe the legacy of Canada's residential school system.

But Lake Melville School in North West River went further than most, dedicating Tuesday to reflection and healing in a day that featured children of Labrador's residential school survivors speaking to students and a visit to the local museum.

A new educational tool from the province's cultural institution The Rooms assisted in Lake Melville School's day — its Healing and Commemoration Edu-Kit, designed to educate specifically about residential schools in Labrador and Newfoundland. The kits include photographs, recordings, and artwork, among other items.

"Over the last few days it has really become clear, the schools are really using it here, teachers here are starting to use it and really helping the students learn about what's going on," said Mark Ferguson, The Rooms' manager of collections and exhibitions, who travelled to North West River to help with the school's event.

Five residential schools operated in Labrador and St. Anthony; the last of them, in North West River, closed in 1980. The schools operated outside the federally-funded residential school system, but served the same purpose in removing Indigenous children from their families and culture.

The Rooms' kits, which began circulating in the spring, have been sent out permanently to eight schools on Labrador's coast, with another promised for Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Five others are being loaned out by The Rooms as requested, he said.