HUMBOLDT — The Horizon School Division will be supplying each 2021-22 graduate of the a free hardcover copy of “Answering The Calls: A Child's View of the 94 Calls to Action.”
Started in 2007, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) spent six years travelling to all parts of Canada and heard from more than 6,500 witnesses, as well as hosted seven national events across the country, creating a historical record of the residential schools system.
In June 2015, the TRC presented the executive summary of the findings contained in its multi-volume final report, including 94 Calls to Action to further reconciliation between Canadians and Indigenous peoples.
Each hardcover book, published by Friesens, contains the Calls to Action with colourful drawings from youth in Grade 4, 5, and 6 classes at École Laura Secord School in Winnipeg. Educators with the school devised a strategy for the students to reword the TRC's 94 Calls to Action in language they could understand.
Kevin Garinger, Horizon’s director of education, said they wanted to give their graduates something meaningful for them to take with them.
“The board thought that what better way to do that than provide them with this documentation on the 94 Calls, especially given the importance of truth and reconciliation,” Garinger said.
“We will, of course, put something in the book to indicate it is from the Horizon School Division.”
This project will serve as a replacement to the graduate banner initiative started in started in 2020, where the Division provided $14,000 annually to provide schools with funds to create graduate banners to replace in-person graduation ceremonies.
With graduation returned, March’s board meeting had trustees speaking both in favour of the banner project’s, describing positive support from communities, as well as against, with criticisms on the lack of a consistent design used throughout the division.
Ultimately, the decision was made to replace it with the books, which will cost the division $7,500.
“The publisher was just so excited to provide it, they couldn’t believe that’s what the board wanted to do was to be able to provide this for our youth. Every year we give this out 500 books go to our kids. It’s money well spent when it relates to what the Calls to Action are and our responsibility on that.”
Garinger said this project is planned to be continued annually.
