Hi everyone, welcome back to another post about my latest project, ReconciliACTION.
While my classmates traveled to Haida Gwaii to explore the land and culture firsthand, I stayed back with a small group of peers. Even though I wasn’t physically there, I still found the project deeply meaningful. I took the opportunity to dive into research and reflection from home, creating a detailed scrapbook that focused on Indigenous cultures, particularly those of Haida Gwaii. I’m proud of how it turned out, it became a personal expression of respect, learning, and care. Through images, writing, and found materials, I tried to capture the importance of Indigenous identity and connection to land.
At our school exhibition, my project stand focused on “Truth Before Reconciliation,” with a specific spotlight on the separation of Indigenous families. This was an emotional and powerful theme to explore. I wanted to help visitors understand that reconciliation can’t truly begin until we face the hard truths of the past like the legacy of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and ongoing family separations. My stand had a picture, this picture contained two words, family, and separation. The exercise was to pick one of the words and write a memory, word, or any form of media that relates to the word you choose. The goal was to showcase how indigenous peoples had memories with their families taken from them. After they wrote their media, they hang it up on the side thier media relates to.
Looking back, I’m proud of the way I used my creativity to engage with the topic, especially through my scrapbook and the exhibition visuals. I think I did a good job balancing information with emotion. If I could do anything differently, I might try to include more firsthand voices, maybe quotes or short interviews with Indigenous people to make the experience even more grounded and powerful. Still, this project taught me a lot, not just about history, but about empathy, storytelling, and the importance of listening.
To answer the driving question, we can share what we’ve learned by turning knowledge into action, through art, presentations, or events that highlight Indigenous truths. By sparking conversations and sharing personal reflections, we help shift our community’s thinking and move reconciliation forward. Thank you for reading.