PRIMARY PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

• Commemorative Activities: Hosting annual community activities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (September 30), including Orange Shirt Walks, “funeral-style” processions, tipi raising and teachings, pipe ceremonies, sacred fires, in-venue activities with displays, traditional foods, speakers, Indigenous theatre, music, cultural dance, and a one-day memorial round dance.

• Cultural Workshops: Creating hands-on learning experiences to the community of all ages, such as ribbon skirts and shirt sewing, kokum painting, hoop dancing, Métis jigging, animal mask making.

• Truth-Telling and Education: Providing platforms for Elders, Survivors and Knowledge Keepers to share teachings, stories and lived experiences, through presentations, blanket exercise workshops, tours of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School, video testimonials, and visual displays of historical documentation and time lines.

• Community Healing Garden Project: Currently in the early stages of planning a Community Healing Garden project in partnership with the Town of Bonnyville, in collaboration with a working group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous allies - Truly a display of reconciliation in action! Rooted in response to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action, this project responds directly to the need for age-appropriate education on Indian Residential Schools, treaty relationships, Indigenous contributions to Canada, and the revitalization of Indigenous languages and traditional practises. It will be available and accessible to individuals of all ages, all year round. Teachings will be guided by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, and supported by educators, youth leaders, and community helpers from the surrounding Lakeland community. This Community Healing Garden will serve as a permanent public space for truth-telling, cultural revitalization and reconciliation, with the goal of supporting intergenerational healing and shared understanding.

• Community Advocacy: Acting as a bridge for local organizations seeking Indigenous performers and speakers, advocating for authentic representation in regional events.

• Support Services: Providing onsite access to registered Indigenous mental health therapists specialized in trauma to support participants during sensitive commemorative activities.