Welcome to the 'Building Healthy Relationships' Edition of Myles Ahead's curated Educator Resources. This Friday's Edition is a solemn recognition of the upcoming National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, on Thursday, September 30th, which is also Orange Shirt Day. On this day and every day, we honour the survivors of residential schools and their families, as well as those who didn't survive. 

Healthy relationships are fostered by courageous honesty, empathetic listening, and authentic actions to show we care. Although National Suicide Prevention Month is almost over, building healthy relationships with ourselves and others is an ongoing journey. 

Facing hard truths can be very difficult. While it can be very challenging to talk about suicide, having these conversations, with care, can be very healing and save lives.

Another hard Truth to face is residential schools. Although difficult, the genuine acknowledgment of this Truth is foundational for Reconciliation and Healing to happen, individually and collectively.

The links below include recommended resources to help bring greater awareness to the Truth, with hopes of building healthy relationships and cultivating healing along the way. 

Content Warning: The resources below relate to residential schools. It may cause trauma brought on by memories of past abuse. If needed, this is the 24-Hour Crisis Line by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society: 1-866-925-4419.

Resources:

  1. The Witness Blanket is a national monument, by Carey Newman / Hayalthkin'geme, to commemorate the experiences of residential school survivors across Canada. Presented in partnership with Carey Newman, Media One, and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the documentary "Picking Up the Pieces: The Making of the Witness Blanket" (and there's a book version) takes us on a journey to learn more. 
  2. Curated by the Orange Shirt Society, these Teacher Resources (K-12) include lesson ideas on how to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day and promote greater awareness of the Truth, for Reconciliation. For more background about Orange Shirt Day, check out this video by its Founder, Phyllis Webstad. #EveryChildMatters
  3. A video by Facing History and Ourselves, Reconciliation and Calls to Action includes Indigenous leaders, educators, and scholars who discuss what it means to work toward Reconciliation and "get back to heart connections." 

About Us:

For those who are unfamiliar with Myles Ahead, we are a national charity that is dedicated to advancing child and youth mental health. Thank you for joining us along this journey. To learn more, click here.

T: 416.929.6675 | W: mylesahead.ca | Registered Charity #72688 1717 R0001

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