A wound is dressed and tended to with care in order to heal. This week, the under-dressed wound that Canada has in relation to the tragic history of residential schools was scratched open.

 

"Over a period of more than 100 years, 160,000 Indigenous children across Canada were forcibly removed from their families and placed into boarding schools where their language, spirituality, culture and basic humanity was literally beaten out of them." (source - a recommended read)

 

The last residential school closed in the late 1990s.

 

Histories of violent discrimination and forced assimilation require our awareness and our compassion. Stains of trauma do not need to define the trajectory of our communities - and it is up to us, as Rotarians and as conscious neighbours, to listen, acknowledge, and respect the healing process.

 

Here are the calls to action from Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission if you are interested in learning more about how we can address the legacy of residential schools.

 

Margaret Shibley
 
Terry Forth and I joined a conversation among Rotary mentors, both current and potential, for the FAR Project that the Passport Club has supported. An interim report on the entire project, as required by Rotary International, is under development, and will be passed on to you when it is available. 

The conversation 26 May, however, was primarily on our experiences as mentors over the past months. It appears that Covid restrictions have affected all the recipients, as well as the staff, of the FAR (Facilitator of Alumni Resources) project. A context refresher: the FAR project itself serves graduates of the Pathways to Education program as they move on from high school to work or further education. The FAR refers those seeking employment to Kingston Employment Youth Services (KEYS).  Rotarians have taken on responsibility to mentor and support those graduates who have not yet chosen a course of action. As mentors, we in turn receive guidance from Pathways to Education and mentorship training from KEYS.
 
To date, 9 alumni from the 2020 cohort have been referred to KEYS to be connected with a Rotary mentor. This number is in line with targets set early in the project planning process and is very encouraging. We expect more referrals as we learn more about how alumni and mentors work best together. 
 
Of those 9 possible relationships, however, only 2 have been established, and the FAR team has kept in touch as much as possible with all of the Alumni. With issues from any or all of food, housing, and employment insecurity, the time or comfort level to think ahead seems to have been diminished. Even for those who would have entered the alumnus category this spring, some found the remote learning framework entirely incompatible with their learning style and needs. At least three alumni have chosen to take a year off to work until they are able to return to in-person schooling, and the same may apply to those who were in their final year of high school.

So, don’t judge this part of the program by the numbers, but by what we’ve learned. We have learned that the training we received was what was needed, that the most important service we can provide these young people is a listening and respectful ear, that it takes time to build trust but it is critical to take that time. We have learned some of the things that interfere with an on-line relationship - a functional phone and a place of privacy in which to use it are not common for these kids. We have confirmed the need for our service as mentors within the larger project and are discussing ways to bring these alumni into the Rotary community to continue to build a network. We’ve only just begun.

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