Reconciliation through the year: Sharing space and power to support mental wellness
This week, across Ontario, students and staff will participate in reflection and learning on the truth, calls to action and commitments to reconciliation. On Friday, we will wear orange shirts to honour Indigenous children who were forced to residential schools and to assimilate, and we will remember the children who never came home.
While we have this important week and day each year to intentionally pause, mourn and reflect on the impact of residential schools, it’s the work that happens throughout the year that shows our commitment to reconciliation, decentering whiteness, and to sharing space and power. This is part of the work of identity-affirming school mental health.
At School Mental Health Ontario, we’re fortunate to work alongside Indigenous colleagues and partners. This year, as we reflect on the impact of residential schools, the enduring trauma they caused, and the theme of Remembering the Children, we thought we’d share examples of efforts towards reconciliation in school mental health in Ontario. While we know we are still in early stages of the transformation that needs to occur, our hope is these examples may serve as inspiration for opportunities to come.
Life promotion for all students
Last year, the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation released Strengthening Our Connections to Promote Life: A Life Promotion Toolkit by Indigenous Youth. The toolkit is designed to support youth to aspire to live long and good lives. In western approaches to mental health, we often talk about suicide prevention. Life promotion—strengthening connection to self, community, culture and land—is suicide prevention. School Mental Health Ontario team members are working alongside the Thunderbird Foundation to support the uptake of this toolkit, starting with school boards in northern Ontario. The toolkit includes over 80 pages of activities focused on connection to land, connection to self, connection to community and connection to spirituality. These materials were created for Indigenous youth and are reflective of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and supporting well-being; however, a life promotion lens will benefit all students.
Learn more about the toolkit on the Wise Practices website.
Hear about the toolkit’s development and focus from two of the youth involved in its creation on the Mino Bimaadiziwin podcast
If you’re interested in learning more about the implementation in northern school boards, contact Tanja Steinbach, prevention and early intervention consultant – Indigenous mental health at tsteinbach@smho-smso.ca
Coming together through the Indigenous Network Circle
In 2021, Tanja Steinbach, prevention and early intervention consultant – Indigenous mental health at School Mental Health Ontario, alongside the First People’s Wellness Circle, began a project to understand how schools and school boards are approaching Indigenous wellness. Through this work, Tanja and the team recognized an opportunity to connect the individuals who support Indigenous wellness within school boards, many of whom are the only or one of the few Indigenous school mental health professionals on their team. Very quickly the Indigenous Network Circle was born. The group now meets regularly to dialogue and support each other in their work. It’s important to have a place to go where your perspectives and experiences are understood—and this circle provides that sense of belonging to its members.
Supports and initiatives in Ontario schools
In schools, there are various initiatives underway by Indigenous education teams, including hiring graduation coaches, cultural advisors and Indigenous curriculum experts, bringing Indigenous ways to knowing and land-based education to all students, creating culturally relevant spaces, and of course, the learning that is happening among staff teams. The identity-affirming work that is beginning to grow is foundational to student mental health and well-being.
We all have a role in reconciliation
Reconciliation is not the responsibility of any single organization, leader or role. Instead, we must all look for opportunities to share space and power. To each contribute, through whatever influence we have, to act on the calls to action.
If you’re looking for a place to begin or enhance your learning journey or a way to influence further, there are many organizations to help. You’re not on your own with your reconciliation journey or in bringing truth and reconciliation to students. Your learning and actions are part of the work to ensure Indigenous students can thrive in their school experiences. You might look for local resources available in your schools or communities, including forming a connection with a local Indigenous Friendship Centre. Here are some other initiatives and organizations to consider:
The First Peoples Wellness Circle advocates for collaborative transformative change to create pathways to wellness and whole health for First Peoples shaped by diverse Indigenous cultural lenses.
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund
The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The Hope for Wellness Helpline is available to all Indigenous people across Canada. Experienced and culturally competent counsellors are reachable by telephone and online ‘chat’ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation educates Canadians on the profound injustices inflicted on First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation by the forced removal of children to attend residential schools and the widespread abuse suffered in those schools.
The Orange Shirt Society provides resources and information to support understanding of the purpose and context of Orange Shirt Day.
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
The Thunderbird Partnership Foundation is the leading culturally centered voice advocating for collaboration, integrated, and holistic approaches to healing and wellness.
We Matter is an Indigenous youth-led and nationally registered organization dedicated to Indigenous youth support, hope and life promotion.
Wise Practices is a project that showcases wise practices for life promotion that honours and give credits to what is already happening to promote life and vitality in First Nations communities across Canada by drawing links and connections among them for mutual benefit.
See our community mental health resource page for a list of mental health supports available for Indigenous students and families.
While we know this work is far from done, it’s important to shine a light on the stories of partnership and action, and to share resources—because hope builds momentum. Stories of shared space and power remind us of what is possible, and that change isn’t an abstract concept. It’s something we can each help create—and it’s our responsibility to students, families and the communities we serve.