September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour Survivors of residential schools, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the ongoing impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous families and communities.
It is also an opportunity to think about what reconciliation asks of us beyond one day. At KW Habilitation, part of that work is creating opportunities to listen, learn and build relationships.
Earlier this month, a group from KW Habilitation travelled to Chiefswood Park at Six Nations of the Grand River for a day of learning, connection and Haudenosaunee culture.
Hosted by Community Living Six Nations, the day brought together between 50 and 60 people from KW Habilitation, Community Living Six Nations, Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region and Parents for Community Living.
Learning by Doing
Throughout the day, people had opportunities to experience and learn about Haudenosaunee culture in different ways.
They learned about lacrosse and had an opportunity to pick up a stick and give it a try. They made scones or donuts to take home and created their own medicine pouches, choosing beads and helping one another through the process.
Lunch included corn and bean soup, strawberry juice, fruit and desserts, followed by time to enjoy Chiefswood Park together. The day ended with singing and dancing, bringing everyone together to participate, watch and learn.
For the people who attended from KW Hab, there wasn’t one single highlight. From learning how to handle a lacrosse stick and throw the ball, to baking, dancing, learning some of the language and making medicine bags, everyone seemed to take something different from the experience.
Some of the feedback we heard included:
“I really liked learning how to play lacrosse.”
“Making the medicine bags was my favourite part. I was proud of what I made.”
“I had a really good time and would like to go again.”
On the drive home, conversations revolved around everything attendees had learned and enjoyed. For some it was lacrosse. For others, it was learning language or participating in another part of the day, but everyone seemed to be bringing something different home with them.
More Than a Day of Activities
The connections made throughout the day were just as important as the activities.
People were divided into groups that mixed attendees from each organization. They talked, worked together and helped one another, rather than staying only with the people they arrived with. Those connections also created opportunities for deeper conversations.
Staff from different teams talked to each other about some of the challenges facing people with developmental disabilities in different communities and discovered shared experiences around changing services and supports. What began as an opportunity to learn more about Haudenosaunee culture also became an opportunity to learn from one another.
Attendees also heard about the history of the land along the Grand River and ongoing conversations about the return of land, creating space to listen to perspectives and history that some people attending may not have encountered before.
Continuing the Work
Reconciliation is not something we can accomplish through one event.
For KW Habilitation, moving reconciliation forward means continuing to learn, creating opportunities for the people we work for to learn alongside us, and building relationships with Indigenous people and organizations. The visit to Chiefswood Park felt like a step forward.
It gave people the chance to experience something new, ask questions, listen, participate and, importantly, spend time together.
On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are reminded that learning matters, but what we do with that learning matters too.
We are grateful to Community Living Six Nations for welcoming us, sharing with us and creating an experience that brought people together. We look forward to continuing to learn and finding more opportunities to build relationships that move reconciliation forward.