Please Pledge and Invest 40 Minutes of Your Time and Learn How Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Came into Existence
The recent discoveries of almost 1000 children buried in mass and unmarked graves on the Cowessess and Tk’emlups te Secwepemec First Nations reserves has left the majority of non-Indigenous Canadians shocked and wondering how this could have possibly happened in the land of, ’the true north strong and free.’ Simultaneously, it has reopened old and deep wounds of the Indian Residential School survivors who include:
- those people who were forced to attend the schools as children,
- those who lost family members in the schools or to the terrible legacy of that system,
- the following generations that have suffered countless forms of loss, continued pain or cross generational trauma.
To help non-Indigenous people understand how this came about and fulfill this Pledge of Action, STAAT is offering its 40 minute interactive video, The Indian Act & Residential Schools, to all interested parties at no charge for 136 days – one day for each of the residential schools that operated across Canada for over 165 years.
“The point of sharing this video is not to place blame nor shame on people. Rather, the purpose is to help non-Indigenous people understand the realities that have been concealed from all of us for over 100 years.” - Karen Batycki, Co-Founder of STAAT and member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation
Presented from an Indigenous perspective, this video was originally released in early 2015 and is focused primarily on Western Canada, where most of the schools were located. It is engaging, historically accurate and an excellent starting point for all Canadians to start and learn more about this 165 year long tragedy. The topics covered in the video include:
- The role of the Indian Act and the Indian Agents who enforced it.
- The impact the residential school system had on all Indigenous families.
- The Government of Canada’s policies to, “Kill the Indian in the child.”
- The emotionally charged Truth & Reconciliation Commission process.
- How Canada’s Indigenous Peoples are moving forward once again.
The STAAT team and many of our friends are challenging their families, coworkers, and friends to ACERT (pronounced “assert”) themselves and invest 40 minutes of their time, not their money, into watching this video and fulfill this Pledge of Action.
“It’s our responsibility, as non-Indigenous people, to know and understand the facts about what was inflicted on the children and families of Canada’s First Peoples.” - Greg Farney, Co Founder of STAAT and a non-Indigenous Canadian
Our goal is to have 150,000+ non-Indigenous people take on and fulfill this Pledge of Action – at least one person for every child that was forced into the residential school system.
We are also looking for like minded people, politicians, corporations, churches, and all organizations to freely circulate this announcement so that other non-Indigenous people can learn how to make this Pledge of Action and small gesture of respect toward Canada’s First Peoples a reality.
To register your personal Pledge of Action and gain access to the video on any device, create your personal/secure account and take the next step in your journey toward reconciliation. Please share your experience with hashtag #PledgeOfAction.
This offer will be valid from National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21st) through November 4th, 2021. For more information, please contact Karen Batycki, STAAT Co-Founder and proud member of Peepeekisis Cree Nation at karen@staat.ca or 403.815.7255.
About Straight Talk Advisory and Training Ltd (STAAT):
A majority owned and operated First Nation business, STAAT’s team are practitioners and leaders in Indigenous innovation. STAAT’s services include: Indigenous e-Awareness Delivery and Development; Indigenous Opportunity Readiness Programs; Indigenous Business Awareness Seminars; and, First Peoples Industrial Training Camps.
Find out more on STAAT at http://www.staat.ca