Section 5: Healing and the Future

Talking Circles are useful when the topic under consideration has no right or wrong answer or when people need to share feelings. During circle time, people are free to respond however they want as long as they follow specific guidelines.

The legacy left by the residential school system continues to impact Aboriginal communites today. This legacy affects not only those individuals who actually attended these schools, but their families from whom they were separated and their communities with whom they no longer seem to identify. Intergenerational impact refers to family members being negatively affected by a relative's experience at residential school. For example, former students have indicated that they find it difficult to express love or communicate with their children due to their experiences in order to reconcile with them.

Students will learn about NAN, the organization and how it has been a stepping stone for some residential school survivors with the NAN territory.

The 4 Churches that were involved in the operation of residential schools for Aboriginal children are from various orders. The Churches wished to spread gospel to help young people to survive in a world where the old ways of life seemed to be vanishing. All Churches wished to evangelize, however, whatever the good intentions of the Churches involved, they now admit that the consequences were tragic for Aboriginal people and have since apologized for their wrong doings.

During the time residential schools operated, the Churches explicitly supported the Federal Government's assimilation goals in running the schools. The government paid for capital expenditures and staff salaries through operating grants. In 1969, the government assumes complete responsibility of all residential schools in Canada, therefore, they were no longer run by the Churches. In 1998, the government of Canada issued a "Statement of Reconciliation" to all residential school Survivors. It was their way to express to all Aboriginal peoples in Canada their profound regret for past actions of the Federal government, one being residential schools.

In July 1998, Aboriginal people who experienced life at residential school gathered in Squamish, B.C. for an important first step in the healing process - the creation of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation (AHF). The AHF was set up in 1998 with funding from the Government of Canada.