Teaching children about trauma that other youth have had to endure can be complicated. Knowledge is powerful but can also be heavy to bear. This is especially so when the trauma was inflicted upon loved ones. The nine-year-old daughter of a residential school survivor demonstrated at her school this week, that though complicated, education is necessary and can foster empowerment, action and connection.

Haley Paetkau, Grade 4 student at St. Michaels University School, organized Orange Shirt Day on Oct.1, the first one held at the junior school. Paetkau was inspired by seeing her father, Steve SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw of the Penelakut First Nation, sharing stories at the Orange Shirt Day ceremony at Centennial Square in 2017 to help educate about the impacts of residential schools on Indigenous families.

B次元官网网址淲hen I talk about that experience that I went through B次元官网网址� not just me, but my sisters and my mom and a bunch of my uncles and aunts B次元官网网址� I donB次元官网网址檛 tell you so that you feel sorry for me. I tell you simply because I want you to know that our people are resilient,B次元官网网址� SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw said. B次元官网网址淒onB次元官网网址檛 ever feel sorry for me. I donB次元官网网址檛 need that. I need your strength in telling this story to the next generation and thatB次元官网网址檚 what sheB次元官网网址檚 doing.B次元官网网址�

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More than 150,000 First Nations, M茅tis, and Inuit children were forced to attend residential schools, and more than 6,000 didnB次元官网网址檛 survive. There are 80,000 former students alive today.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to have Orange Shirt Day to remember residential schools so we donB次元官网网址檛 treat anyone that way again,B次元官网网址� said nine-year-old Paetkau. B次元官网网址淚 knew we didnB次元官网网址檛 have Orange Shirt Day at my school and I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate.B次元官网网址�

Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of a commemoration event held in 2013 at St. Joseph Mission residential school in Williams Lake, B.C. It grew out of Phyllis WebstadB次元官网网址檚 story of having her new orange shirt taken away on her first day of school at the Mission when she was stripped of all her clothes and culture, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion of residential schools alive annually. The date was chosen because it is the time of year when children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools.

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At SMUS Orange Shirt Day assembly, Paetkau told the story of Phyllis Webstad, and also performed a play with Abigail Porttris, an Indigenous Grade 2 student at SMUS, and Grade 2 teacher Nina Duffus, based on David RobertsonB次元官网网址檚 book, When we were alone, about a grandmother sharing her experience of residential school. Elder Bill White and Wes Edwards opened the event with traditional songs and drumming.

On top of taking part in the assembly, Paetkau sold hundreds of homemade orange bead bracelets to raise money for a First Nations school in need, accumulating $700 which quickly became $1,400 after a commitment by an Indigenous parent at the school to double the funds raised. Paetkau was not alone in making the bracelets B次元官网网址� friends, neighbours, family, and classmates joined in the effort and created a B次元官网网址渓ittle factory.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e taught our class to put their hands up and say HychB次元官网网址檏a Siem,B次元官网网址� said Paetkau, thanking those that helped out.

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B次元官网网址淚 am extremely proud of her,B次元官网网址� SxwithulB次元官网网址檛xw said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something you share gingerly with your kids. My kids are very small and impressionable but at that stage where they are very curious about their dadB次元官网网址檚 history. It is really important in terms of our teachings that they are aware of their history. I give them information that promotes thought and encourages them to dig deep and ask those pivotal questions to understand how that shaped our people to where we are today.

B次元官网网址淲e carry a lot of the scars and whatnot but we are resilient. There is nothing that we canB次元官网网址檛 do. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 matter what the obstacles are. We find ways to move above and beyond that. It is about taking action and thatB次元官网网址檚 what IB次元官网网址檓 trying to instill in my children B次元官网网址� to have a voice.B次元官网网址�