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New online platform shares powerful testimony from residential school Survivors

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This article was published 30/09/2022 (1429 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new interactive online platform based on the Witness Blanket is creating opportunities for people to explore first-hand accounts from residential school Survivors.

At witnessblanket.ca, users can discover stories from the Witness Blanket, a large-scale art installation by master carver Carey Newman. The artwork is made from over 800 pieces donated by Survivors or collected from the sites of former residential schools, churches and other cultural structures across Canada.

The online platform highlights 10 artifacts from the artwork. Through immersive, original stories, each artifact is accompanied by the voices of Survivors who share aspects of their experiences in residential schools.

“In the oral traditions of my ancestors, a witness has an important role,” says Newman in an introductory video. “To ensure that things are not forgotten, a witness watches, listens and then remembers and shares with others what they have learned. As you explore these stories, I invite you to bear witness.”

The museum worked with an advisory group of educators across Canada to build a customized teacher resource based on the new web platform. It includes all the elements a teacher would need to bring education about residential schools into the classroom, including detailed lesson plans based on the stories shared through witnessblanket.ca. The resource is set up to build a human rights classroom culture that embraces empathy, helps teachers and students connect with Elders, Survivors and Indigenous communities, and develops pathways to reconciliation.

Graham Lowes, manager of education and program development at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, noted the importance of incorporating this content into learning plans in ways that are age-appropriate.

“We want to help educators build a classroom culture that’s safe and supportive, where students can use this new online platform to learn about the residential school era,” Lowes says. “Through the new teacher resource, we’ve brought together strategies and exercises for all students from K-12 that will help them build empathy with the experiences of Survivors and encourage more conversations about the ongoing impacts of residential schools.”

Lowes also noted that while building understanding is foundational, it is equally important to help students use what they learn to take action.

“We want every student to be a leader in their community. Our goal is to help everyone take what they learn and translate it into action for a future based on the principles of human rights, truth and reconciliation.”

Discover moving testimony from residential school Survivors by visiting witnessblanket.ca.