Truth means naming what residential schools did to children, families and languages. Reconciliation means supporting Indigenous communities’ authority to teach their languages and shape their children’s education.

When a child enters a classroom, the language of home should be welcomed along with them. Within that language are their family stories, names from their land, and the knowledge that they belong to something bigger than that classroom.

Canada’s residential schools took First Nations, Inuit and Métis children from their families.

Children were punished for speaking their languages.

Many never returned home.

The harm was deliberate, and that trauma reverberates down throughout the generations.

On September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, we remember those children and we honour Survivors, their families and communities. We must face a truth that should be spoken about in every conversation about literacy…education was used to erase Indigenous languages and knowledge. It must never happen again.

For Decoda, that history brings shared responsibility for our communities.

Aboriginal Parents as Literacy Supporters was developed in consultation with Elders and First Nations communities. Its family learning draws on storytelling, Indigenous knowledge and cultural connection.

Decoda trains facilitators for programs offered in BC communities. Families, languages and ways of knowing is at the centre of a child’s learning.

Empathy and kindness is how we mark this day. Survivors decide whether, when and how to share their experiences. Nobody owes us a painful story. Anyone affected may choose to leave a gathering, close a book or seek support. Those choices deserve respect and compassion.

For all of us, the work is to listen to Indigenous voices, read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and support Indigenous-led language and education initiatives.

Wear orange. Then keep learning when September has passed.

Support is available 24 hours a day. Residential School Survivors and their families can call the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. Indigenous people can also call the Hope for Wellness Helpline at 1-855-242-3310.